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Poems with Power to Strengthen the Soul* 


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THE RICHES OF 
HIS GRACE 


A PORTION FOR EVERY SUNDAY 


By 

JAMES MUDGE 


Ephesians i. 7 



New York: EATON & MAINS 
Cincinnati: JENNINGS & GRAHAM 


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Copyright, 1909* by 
EATON & MAINS. 


Cl \ 246181 ’ 

SEP 3 1909 






TO THE MEMORY 
OF MY BELOVED UNCLE 
THE REV. ZACHARIAH ATWELL MUDGE 
A PROLIFIC WRITER OF GOOD BOOKS 
AN EARNEST PREACHER OF 
THE GLORIOUS GOSPEL 
A CONSISTENT CHRISTIAN 
A FAITHFUL FRIEND 


3 









CONTENTS 


PART I.—FUNDAMENTALS 

PORTION PAGE 

1. “I Surrender All” . n 

2. Self-Renunciation... 16 

3. What Faith Is and Does. 22 

4. Trustfulness. 28 

5. Practical Points about Prayer. 33 

6. A Bible Budget . 38 

7. Growth—Its Marks and Means. 44 

8. “Blessed Assurance”... 50 

PART II.—MORAL DUTIES 

9. The Dominance of Duty. 59 

10. Highest Heroism. 65 

11. Mansions of the Soul. 70 

12. Meekness and Manliness. 75 

13. Brotherly Kindness. 81 

14. Desires and Determinations. 87 

15. Minor Morals. 92 

PART III.—SPECIAL BEAUTIES 

16. “Cheerful Godliness”. 101 

17. Some Happiness Secrets. 105 

18. Acquiring Contentment . m 

19. “Murmurings and Disputings”. 116 

20. “Songs in the Night”. 121 

31. Perfect Patience. 128 

22. True and False Humility. 133 

23. Independence. 141 


5 


























6 


CONTENTS 


PART IV.—THE CONTEMPLATIVE 

PORTION PAGE 

24. The Presence of God . 149 

25. The Will of God . 155 

26. Divine Providence. 160 

27. Holy Quietness. 165 

28. Love Divine. 170 

29. Heavenly-Mindedness. 176 

30. The Life Beyond.,. 181 

PART V.—THE ACTIVE 

31. Good Works. 189 

32. Coinsecration. 195 

33. Conversational Religion. 200 

34. Piety in the Home. 205 

35. A Shining Light. 211 

36. Physical, Mental, Spiritual. 217 

37. Helpful Rules. 223 

PART VI.—MATURITY 

38. Complete Christlikeness. 231 

39. Can We Be Perfect?. 237 

40. Sins and Infirmities. 243 

41. Wholesome Holiness. 248 

42. Oneness with God . 254 

43* “Jesus is I^Iine”. 259 

44. The Science of Saintliness. 265 

PART VII.—VARIOUS ADVICES 

45. Alphabetic and Arithmetic Aids. 273 

46. Comfort Powders. 278 

47. Key Words to the Christian Life. 284 

48. Harmful Errors. 289 

49. Heart Testings. 294 

50. Miscellaneous Maxims... 299 

51. Searching Questions. 305 

52. Spiritual Suggestions. 310 































PREFACE 


This is a sort of handy guide to the heavenly 
kingdom, a vade mecum to and through the land 
of Beulah, a packet of papers about superlative 
piety, a collection of counsels concerning Christian 
character and conduct, a series of plain talks on 
high themes, a key to the inner life. It is the 
result of fifty years’ investigation into the many 
problems connected with practical religion and 
spiritual experience. Whatever merit it has comes 
from a very wide and long familiarity with the 
best devotional books of the ages. Its division 
into fifty-two short, compendious chapters, or 
portions, suggests that even the busiest people can 
find a little time on Sunday to consider one of 
these sections, and then make it the theme of 
their thought during the week. Should they do 
so, it seems certain that they will find both in¬ 
struction and stimulation in the ways of righteous¬ 
ness, happiness, and peace. Amid the eagerness 
for earthly wealth, with which the time abounds, 
there surely should be many bent on acquiring and 
exploring in the fullest way “ the exceeding riches 
of his grace . . . toward us in Christ Jesus” 
(Eph. 2. 7). 

James Mudge. 

Malden, Massachusetts. 


7 














PART I 

FUNDAMENTALS 
















































































































































. 
































































































































































































































































































1 


“I SURRENDER ALL” 

What can be more fundamental in the Chris¬ 
tian life than giving oneself up to God, forsak¬ 
ing the position of sinful independence and 
accepting the righteous rule of our Divine Lord ? 
This must come first, as, doubtless, all know. 
But he makes a big mistake who imagines that 
he can surrender all in any absolutely complete 
sense at any one time. His dedication, however 
well meant, can be practically effective and avail¬ 
able only to the extent of his knowledge—his 
knowledge of God’s will and of his own heart. 
As that knowledge increases he must see that 
the dedication corresponds, ever keeping pace 
with the ever-advancing light. What the “all” 
covers when light is small, as at conversion it 
necessarily is, will differ widely from what it 
covers after twenty or thirty years of spiritual 
growth. In view of this truth, self-renunciation 
is a perpetual duty, not something to be done 
merely once for all. The consecration needs 
continual reviewing and revising, that it may 
be brought fully up to date. While there can 
be no conscious withholding at any time for the 
ii 


12 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


accepted or justified soul, there may be very 
much hidden from view, with reference to which 
there is not yet full responsibility. There should 
be a constant endeavor after more light, a growth 
in the knowledge of God and of self more and 
more. 

The increasing promptitude and heartiness 
with which we accept God’s will is one of the 
best tests of growth; and it would seem that 
there is room in this path for perpetual advance. 
To say “Yes” to God after an interval of strug¬ 
gle is one thing; to say it instantaneously is 
quite another. It may take us an appreciable 
time, first, to recognize that it is God’s will, and 
second, to conclude that it shall be ours. If so, 
there is manifest room to change for the better. 

There are at least three general degrees, or 
stages of progress, in our relation to the divine 
will. First, we may accept it with much suf¬ 
fering and little or no joy; second, we may accept 
it with some suffering and some joy; third, we 
may accept it with no suffering and all joy. In 
this last case we do not submit our pleasure to 
the will of God, but find our pleasure in the will 
of God. Thus death is swallowed up in victory, 
as the starlight is swallowed up in sunshine; we 
count our gifts to God not a painful sacrifice but 
a splendid investment. 

Surrendering all to God includes that love of 


‘I SURRENDER ALU 


i3 


our own opinion which is so very dear to us, 
and which we like to call love of the truth. It 
includes that love of the praise of men which 
brings a constant snare, and that love of power 
or prominence which makes it so hard for us 
to prefer one another in honor. Many are willing 
to serve God if they can do it in their own way 
rather than his; we greatly mar the work of God 
by doing it in our own spirit. The only thing 
that really belongs to us is our will, and this God 
gave us that we might return it to him. Sur¬ 
rendering all means to the instructed soul a vast 
multitude of little things, accounted by most 
people insignificant, but having a direct bearing 
on the progress of the higher life clearly per¬ 
ceived by him who has the power of spiritual 
discernment. To the soul that is covetously bent 
on the greatest possible approach to absolute 
oneness with his Lord there is nothing too small 
to be taken into account. It is not the value of 
that which is withheld that makes the trouble, 
but the spirit of withholding which may find 
manifestation in the most unlooked-for quarters. 
The way may be effectually blocked by an exceed¬ 
ingly small point of pride or self-will. It will 
avail us nothing to have given up ninety-nine 
things if the hundredth be not given up also. A 
great principle is at stake which God cannot, 
either for our own sake or his own, afford to 


14 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


compromise. The surrender must be absolutely 
unconditional, unreserved, without concealment 
or equivocation or reservation. 

The surrender should be not only unreserved 
but intelligent. We do not have to part with our 
common sense. Sanity and spirituality need 
never be separated. Reason and religion reign 
together in perfect harmony. Fanaticism is not a 
part of faith. There is no profit in conjuring up 
frightful hobgoblins which God has not yet, and 
probably never will, put in our path. Our morbid 
imaginations should be held in check. It is 
certain that he will never command us to do a 
thing in regard to whose propriety he will not 
remove all reasonable doubt, and for which he 
will not give us, when the time comes, all needed 
strength. He is not an ogre nor a despot. And 
we are to live by the moment. 

If surrender and submission seem uncomforta¬ 
ble words, if the requirements of God appear 
large, turn the thought swiftly to the riches of 
compensation. They who give all receive all; 
they exchange their poverty for God’s wealth; 
only the empty bucket can be filled. Crucifixion 
of self is not pleasant to the flesh, but no one can 
escape pain; he must be crucified either to the 
world or by the world; the former crucifixion is 
the essential prelude to endless, glorious life. For 
they who have made God their supreme choice, 


“I SURRENDER ALL’ 


15 


they to whom he is all—reversing the state of the 
natural man, to whom God is nothing and self is 
all—find that God makes it his supreme care that 
they want for nothing. He pours himself round 
about them, so that they are wrapped in an atmos¬ 
phere of inexpressible bliss; they are lifted above 
the power of circumstances and the possibility 
of loss. Their peace is unassailable. Their song 
never ceases. Having God, they have everything. 

In full and glad surrender we give ourselves to thee, 
Thine utterly, and only, and evermore to be! 

O Son of God, who lovest us, we will be thine alone, 
And all we are and all we have shall henceforth be thine 
own. 

Only for Jesus! Lord, keep it ever 
Sealed on the heart, and engraved on the life; 

Pulse of all gladness, and nerve of endeavor. 

Secret of rest and the strength of our strife. 



2 

SELF-RENUNCIATION 

To get out of self and into Christ is sometimes 
called the whole of religion. It is also said that 
self must wholly die, be forgotten and lost sight 
of, perpetually renounced. The truth in these 
expressions is so important that it is all the sadder 
for them to be mixed with error and thus robbed 
of their proper influence. It is not true that the 
death of self is called for in any literal sense, or 
that whatever is pleasant to us is necessarily con¬ 
nected with sin. Exaggerations on these points 
have been much too common with a certain class 
of writers on religious themes, and the result has 
been to create, among sensible people, a disgust 
which has swept the whole subject aside, or 
else, where the conscience has been extremely 
tender, to bring the soul into an unbearable, harm¬ 
ful bondage. There is need of careful dis¬ 
crimination instead of extravagant denunciation. 
There is a sinful self and a righteous self. There 
is self-love, which is wholly innocent, and selfish¬ 
ness, which is wholly wicked; and these have 
been confounded. Unless they are constantly 
distinguished, instead of being lumped together 
16 


SELF-RENUNCIATION 


i7 


in the one term “self,” we shall get into endless 
contradiction. The best progress is impossible 
except as the exact object to be aimed at is kept 
very distinctly before us. When it is said that we 
are not to seek for self-improvement but for the 
displacement of self by God, there is a whole¬ 
some meaning in the precept only as we under¬ 
stand it with regard to sinful self. 

What is the self that must be retained and main¬ 
tained in its God-given, constitutional rights? It 
is that essential component part of us necessary 
to our individuality, the destruction of which 
would mean our passing into nonexistence. It 
includes the instincts, appetites, passions, and 
powers pertaining to human nature, and having 
for us a certain peculiarity in their composition 
which serves to distinguish us from our neighbors. 
This composite structure—physical, mental, and 
moral—inclosed within our own skin and com¬ 
mitted to our care, we are bound to love and 
respect; we must seek its happiness and promote 
its well-being. We owe it duties that must on no 
account be forgotten. We hold it in trust from our 
Creator; it is a new and characteristic expression 
of the life of God, given to no one else, and 
imparting profoundest value to our existence. 
Self-preservation, self-protection, self-esteem, 
self-development are obligatory upon us. Will 
pertains to this self no less than intellect and feel- 



i8 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


mg; hence self-will is not of necessity wrong. 
To strip us of our will would be a dehumanizing 
process; would be transforming us into machines. 

What, then, is the self that is to be slain, and 
the self-will that is to be cast out, or denied, or 
renounced? It is that perversion, or corruption, 
or distortion of our nature by which we have an 
inordinate regard for our own gratification, to 
the injury of our neighbor and the forgetting of 
God. This perverted self is to be put away that 
the original self, as God made it, may be restored. 
“Selfishness” is the right word to designate this 
undue care for our own pleasure and comfort 
which refuses to regard the happiness and rights 
of others. It is our business to get rid of this— 
a very complicated business, in view of the fact 
that we must use our best judgment, enlightened 
from all possible sources, as to what, in any given 
case, duty to self and duty to others demands. 
We are no more at liberty to lose sight of the first 
than of the second. And we cannot remit the 
decision to others, or follow a particular course, 
simply because it seems to others that we would 
be selfish in not doing it. There is a certain snare 
of self-denial which has grievously injured some 
people with scrupulous consciences. They have 
been led to put away things which belonged to 
their proper development, have been brought to 
spend themselves to no purpose, have done them- 


SELF-RENUNCIATION 


i9 


selves a serious wrong, and conferred no real good 
upon anyone else, by following the lead of gen¬ 
erous, uncalculating, unthinking impulses. Those 
for whom they made the sacrifice would have been 
the better if they had not been thus deprived of the 
healthful opportunity of putting forth their own 
powers. It is not selfish to be manly, or to insist 
on being permitted to work out one’s own calling 
and to give to the world that particular message 
which God designed to impart through us. 

Taking self in its large, full, true meaning, the 
proper word to join with it is “control,” and not 
“annihilation.” The lower self must be controlled 
by the higher self; and there will always be, in 
this life at least, a lower self to be controlled or 
restrained or denied. No amount of Christian 
growth or purification will eradicate the natural 
desires for things agreeable to the flesh; and these 
desires must sometimes be trampled on in the path 
of duty, even as Jesus found. Hence this self- 
denial, in the sense of control exercised by the 
reason and conscience over the blindly clamoring 
appetites, must go on with us to the end of our 
earthly pilgrimage. There will be pain in the 
process, although it may become so small in com¬ 
parison with the keenly appreciated divine ap¬ 
proval that on all ordinary occasions it is 
scarcely discernible. A perfect self-control im¬ 
plies the immediate, unquestioning obedience of 


20 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


the lower self, which has come to know its place 
and keep it. 

Few things are more subtle in their working 
and need closer watching than the ramifications 
of selfishness. There is much real selfishness that 
is unrecognized by us, or of which we are at the 
best only half conscious. There is a great deal 
of selfishness in our prayers. To employ ten 
minutes or more in talking with God about our 
own affairs and one minute or less about the 
interests of all the world besides does not com¬ 
port with great nearness to Jesus. There is a 
great deal of selfishness in our sorrows. When 
we are so entirely engrossed in the contemplation 
of our own personal loss that we forget the gain 
of the departed, and ignore our duties to the 
living, we are deceived in thinking our grief to 
be of the Christian sort. There is often selfish¬ 
ness in our generosity; for we give to gratify our 
own feelings rather than to benefit in the best 
way the object of charity; give out of easy good 
nature, and love of applause, and because we have 
not moral strength enough to resist the appeal 
which we know ought to be resisted. It is the 
same in many other directions. Nothing is more 
insidious and illusive than selfishness, nothing 
more difficult to track through all its mazes. It 
is probable that so long as we live, if our powers 
of moral discrimination continue to increase in 


SELF-RENUNCIATION 


21 


efficiency, we shall discern better what real 
unselfishness is, and hence practice it better. 
Unconscious selfishness needs always to be 
guarded against. To tell where egoism ends 
and altruism begins, in our relations with our 
fellow men, is far from easy. But the selfish 
will, one at any point divergent from the will 
of God so far as we know or can ascertain 
it, is always wrong. There is an immense per¬ 
sonal gain in self-denial for the sake of others, 
in becoming absorbed in a great cause, in count¬ 
ing the main object in life to be the glory of God. 

To do or not to do; to have 
Or not to have, I leave to thee; 

To be or not to be, I leave; 

Thy only will be done in me. 

All my requests are lost in one: 

Father, thy only will be done. 



WHAT FAITH IS AND DOES 


There are at least three faiths: historic faith, 
which is simple credence or belief of testimony ; 
saving faith, which is a trustful surrender of the 
soul to God, or a committal of one’s whole being 
to supreme truth and right; and what may be 
called telescopic faith, which is spiritual appre¬ 
hension, far sight, insight, bringing the distant 
near and making the invisible to be seen. Faith 
is threefold in another sense, in its direction: 
there is faith in God, faith in one’s fellows, 
and faith in oneself. The first gives peace and 
rest from worry; the second gives hope and 
cheerful kindness; the third gives confidence 
and courage. Each must be guarded from abuse 
and distinguished from counterfeits. Faith in 
oneself must not be allowed to pass into ego¬ 
tism; nor faith in others into fatuity; nor faith 
in God into presumption or fanaticism. To 
have faith in God is very different from having 
faith in prayer; by the one we are made sure that 
he can and does and will give us all the time 
precisely what is best; the other erects a mere 
instrumentality into a sort of deity, or at least 


WHAT FAITH IS AND DOES 


23 


a talisman by which in some inexplicable way 
danger is to be warded off and the accomplish¬ 
ment of our wishes secured. 

Faith has been variously defined or described 
as the God-faculty, the faculty of religion, the 
faculty of spiritual touch, the faculty by which 
we realize unseen things, the wide openness of 
the soul or of the whole life toward God; helping 
oneself to God, or tying to God; that supreme 
energy by which the soul attaches itself in vital 
union to the divine; the perfect assurance that 
God will certainly do that which is right, and the 
feeling that this right is the very best thing which 
can be done for me and for everybody else; reck¬ 
oning on God’s faithfulness; spiritualized imag¬ 
ination; the subtle chain that binds us to the 
Infinite; the instinct of the spiritual world, a 
sense of the unseen, a sight of the ideal, percep¬ 
tion of the eternal, spiritual illumination and 
vision, a recognition and reception of invisible 
realities; man’s response to God’s revelation of 
himself. So wide-ramifying, far-reaching, and 
fundamental is faith that there is no better name 
for the realm of religious experience than the 
land of faith. 

Mankind may be divided into three parts: 
those with no faith, those with little faith, those 
with great faith. Those of little faith catch a 
glimmer of God occasionally, they see him once 


24 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


in a while when his presence is writ in very large 
letters, they touch him only at a few points, their 
window skyward is hardly more than a crevice 
or a chink. Those of great faith are full of God, 
and find all things full of him. Every object 
reveals to them its Creator. History declares 
him. Each event speaks of him. Nothing can 
be so minute but what it will disclose his power, 
his wisdom, his love. Perfect faith leaves no 
moment and no spot unassociated with God or 
unoccupied by him. The veils are all taken away. 
The curtains are all lifted. He becomes the Ever 
Near, continuously active, constantly revealed. 

Great faith, like other rich attainments, has 
indispensable and severe conditions. Unbounded 
confidence in God, with all its unbounded de¬ 
lights, can only be possessed by those who have 
made unbounded abandonment of self. Absolute 
submission is essential. Unreserved surrender 
to the divine will in all its manifestations has to 
precede an unfaltering trust in the divine Word 
in all its utterances. The matter of mastership 
must be, once for all, most conclusively settled. 
The acrostic, Forsaking All I Take Him, has a 
deep lesson. A resolute will is also requisite. 
Doubts are pretty certain to intrude. They will 
not be likely to vanish except the very boldest 
front is shown them and the uttermost of vigor 
used in their expulsion. There can be no parley- 


WHAT FAITH IS AND DOES 


25 


ing, no half-way proceedings. Leniency in such 
matters is thrown away. No quarter for traitors. 
Violent measures are in order. All the will 
power we have must be firmly exercised to get 
rid of unbelief. A third thing needful, or, at 
least, extremely useful, is a vigorous understand¬ 
ing. Unless the immanence of God and his 
supreme sovereignty in the realm of matter are 
clearly grasped and strongly held, the tempter 
will have an advantage when he comes to argue 
with us about the doctrine of divine providence. 
It will be far easier to meet him if we have an 
intelligent comprehension of these somewhat 
complicated matters. 

Faith is evidenced by our obedience and our 
love; for these three are but different sides of 
the same prism, each helping the other, each 
transmutable into the other. It is also shown by 
our cheerfulness, our freedom from fear and 
anxiety. He who walks by faith takes no strolls 
through the land of fretfulness. Despondency 
and worry have departed from him. Disappoint¬ 
ment is destroyed. Sorrow is turned into joy. 
Affliction is welcomed because of the love which 
sends it and the spiritual gain which attends it. 
It is a proof of growing faith when we can put 
and keep the world, our particular world (for 
each one has his own), completely under foot. It 
is another proof that this land of faith is ours 


26 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


when we have formed the habit of avoiding such 
expressions as are “not of faith,” such terms 
as are saturated with sense and are earthly in 
their implications. God’s blows are blessings; 
all events are Godsends; all occurrences are prov¬ 
idences; all wishes are weakness, our fears fool¬ 
ishness, our choices an impertinence when they 
presume to array themselves in the slightest de¬ 
gree against the Lord’s decree. This is the lan¬ 
guage of faith. It refuses to call in question the 
reality of God’s guidance (when we have asked 
for it expectantly, and taken all available means 
to secure it) because the results are not what we 
had hoped or seem to human wisdom more like 
failure than success. It says: “If God had 
wished me to decide differently, he could easily 
have brought to my notice the thoughts and 
considerations which would have so influenced 
me.” Faith counts every foe as already con¬ 
quered in Christ and, secure in him, calmly repels 
all assaults. 

To say with any fullness of detail what faith 
does would require many volumes. It is by faith 
we are saved, we stand, we walk, we live; it is 
by faith that Christ dwells in our hearts, and that 
we inherit the promises; it is faith which works by 
love; all things are possible to him, and receiva¬ 
ble by him, that believeth; faith supports us, de¬ 
livers us, and shows us our crown. Faith brings 


WHAT FAITH IS AND DOES 


27 


bliss; it is heaven here. Only he can be happy in 
this sad world, or has a right to be, whose faith 
in God is such that the everlasting gain which 
these passing afflictions are producing is vividly 
before him, and takes in his thought that supreme 
place which it has in the thought of God; we 
must thoroughly believe that God knows just 
what he is about, and that eternal glory is being 
worked out by temporal gloom. 

Lack of faith to receive from God the power 
which we so absolutely need, and which he freely, 
continually offers, lies at the root of every fail¬ 
ure in right living, explains our spiritual poverty, 
the slowness of our growth, the smallness of our 
accomplishment. It is by the men of faith that 
the world’s work is done. They are an elect 
companionship, the choicest anywhere to be found. 
There is no loftier distinction than to be high up 
among them, for it is to be in the very closest 
possible relation to God, one with him who is the 
All-Perfect. 

The crowd of cares, the weightiest cross, 

Seem trifles less than light; 

Earth looks so little and so low, 

When faith shines full and bright. 


4 


TRUSTFULNESS 

Trust, fidelity, vision are the three sections 
or departments into which may be divided the 
great theme, Faith. They cannot be wholly sep¬ 
arated, and in dealing with the latter we have 
already impinged upon the former. But a fuller 
treatment of this most important quality is very 
desirable. There is much to be said upon it. 

It is as foolish to try to trust God as it is to try 
to breathe. It is impossible to distrust him when 
we really know him. Hence the thing is to try to 
know him, and the rest will follow. If a person 
finds difficulty about trusting, it is a sure proof 
that he is not in right relationship with God, that 
he has no proper apprehension of his nature. Let 
him give up his sin and evil self-will and there 
will be no further trouble. 

There are at least three elements in perfect 
trustfulness. It must be universal, covering all 
that there is of us—body and soul, time and 
money, person and family, influence and repu¬ 
tation. It must be unwavering or perpetual, not 
subject to fits or dependent on circumstances, 
now strong and clear, now weak and dim, accord- 

28 


TRUSTFULNESS 


29 


ing to moods or surroundings. It must be un¬ 
reserved or exclusive, implying utter distrust of 
self and of all creature good, a complete turning 
away from everything that is not of God. 

There are at least three great encouragements 
to perfect trustfulness. The first and chief is 
the absolutely trustworthy character of our God 
and Father. All that the tender relationship of 
Father means he contains and exhibits. Being 
what he is, and has in every way made himself 
known to be, trusting him seems to all who 
become acquainted with him the most natural 
and reasonable thing in the world. The second 
encouragement is the promises with which the 
sacred volume is filled. His liberality and ability 
are so fully set forth in a vast variety of specific 
assurances that trust has no excuse for faltering. 
And it receives still further help, in the third 
place, from experience—our own and that of 
good men in all ages, conveyed to us for our 
comfort. Thus the promises are proved and the 
character is tested. 

Full trust dispenses with explanations. In pro¬ 
portion as we lack perfect confidence in a friend 
we are troubled whenever anything that has been 
done or said has a bad look or sound; we are un¬ 
easy till the matter is cleared up; we do not breathe 
quite freely till it is plainly shown that all was 
right. But he who perfectly trusts another is 


30 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


serene and unconcerned, no matter what the ap¬ 
pearance may be. He can hardly be said to be 
even curious about it. He rather prefers to let 
it be without inquiry, lest he should seem by that 
to show some little lack of confidence. He will 
wait at ease till it pleases the other to mention 
it, and is just as well satisfied if it be not men¬ 
tioned. So it is with the heart which has an 
absolute loyalty to God. No amount of seeming 
ill treatment or neglect can make any difference 
in its happy assurance that all is well. 

Genuine trust acquiesces promptly and heart¬ 
ily in all God’s appointments. It says: “I did 
want that, but God has seen fit to send this, there¬ 
fore this must be really best for me; so now, of 
course, I want this; this is my amended, my fully 
enlightened, choice. I did not choose it in the 
first place simply because of my ignorance. I 
made a mistake for which I am not to blame. I 
preferred something else simply because I was 
shortsighted and knew no better; but God by his 
providence has shown me my blunder; so now I 
choose this because perfectly sure that God’s 
wisdom is higher than mine, and he could not 
design anything but my greatest good.” How 
few fully learn that God is well worthy of our 
completest trust. This worthiness is clearly ac¬ 
cepted in theory but woefully denied in practice, 
to our great loss and the dishonor of him who 


TRUSTFULNESS 


3 i 


has surely deserved better things at our hands. 
We cannot do the Father greater wrong than 
to doubt his love or his ability to provide for us 
and deliver us. God has a right to expect trust 
from us and to feel hurt if he does not receive 
it. Withholding it is base ingratitude and most 
egregious folly. 

God never yet forsook at need 

A soul that trusted him indeed. 

Trust says: “ ‘Whate'er my God ordains is 
right/ whether it comes within the scope of my 
small intelligence or not. He cannot will me 
aught but good. No one can keep a blessing 
back which heaven has designed for me.” Trust 
says, “ ‘All things are thy servants' (Psa. 119. 
91), hence are doing thy will which is always 
good; and all things are my servants, for I am 
linked with thee.” It says, “All that comes to 
me is best for me,” which does not mean that 
all people are doing as well as they know how, 
nor that all is best absolutely, from the stand¬ 
point of the ideal, but all is best relatively, best 
under existing circumstances, because God, the 
Infinite Wisdom, appoints or sends or brings the 
thing that is, and he could not bring to us less 
than that which is best for us. “God sitteth on 
the throne and ruleth all things well.” Our fears 
are needless. We cannot want, since God's our 


3 ^ 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


Friend and we depend on him. If we are wise, 
his choice is our choice and all things are ours. 

A genuine, thoroughgoing trust in God prac¬ 
tically abolishes the troubles of life. It abolishes 
all that is worst about them, all that is unbeara¬ 
ble. It takes away the sting and the burden. 
While it does not remove all pain and suffering, 
it furnishes such compensation and counterbal¬ 
ancing alleviations that in comparison with what 
they would otherwise be they are almost nothing. 
We have by this means the full use of all God’s 
strength, all God’s wisdom, all God’s resources. 
We simply take power, peace, everything we 
want. Many trust the Lord in part, and self 
in part, or trust at certain times when the seas 
are calm and the winds are still. Few trust with¬ 
out reservation or cessation. Yet only they are 
governed by reason, and only they exhibit fully 
the fruitfulness which God desires. 

O for the peace of a perfect trust. 

That looks away from all; 

That sees thy hand in everything, 

In great events or small; 

That hears thy voice—a Father’s voice— 
Directing for the best; 

O for the peace of a perfect trust, 

A heart with thee at rest. 


5 

PRACTICAL POINTS ABOUT PRAYER 

Prayer is more than presenting petitions; it 
is the converse of the soul with God; a plain 
duty because commanded, a precious privilege 
because the nature of the child instinctively craves 
communion with its Father. Since Jesus taught 
that “men ought always to pray,” and his chief 
apostle enjoined prayer “without ceasing,” it is 
manifest that we may and must have a constant 
spirit of prayer, an intense desire for God and 
for the accomplishment of his will, which will 
permeate our thoughts, underlie our activities, 
and break out at every opportunity into words. 
Ejaculations—“Lord, help me,” “Bless the Lord” 
—little arrows or javelins sent heavenward hun¬ 
dreds of times a day, mightily aid in promoting 
recollectedness, and aid also all our business; 
nothing more endears us to God and God to us, 
inexpressibly sweetening and brightening life, 
than this perpetual intercourse. 

Thorough honesty is essential to good praying, 
but is often lacking; men would often not only 
be astonished but sorry to receive the things they 
have asked for; they were not the things they 
33 


34 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


really wanted and were willing to pay the price 
for; lip prayers, in which there is more poetry 
than piety, are lost prayers. Lazy prayers are 
no good; the element of fervency is important; 
there should be clear thought, profound feeling, 
earnest striving after the best; cold prayers may 
be called prayers, but that does not make them 
so; indolent postures of body promote indolent 
habits of mind. The lamp of prayer will go out 
unless it has oil; there must be much meditation 
on sacred things, much reading of the Bible and 
other devotional books, much self-examination 
and religious conversation; this produces that 
frame of mind whose natural expression is ear¬ 
nest, effectual prayer. Long perseverance and 
fervent importunity in prayer is called for when 
God, to try our faith and patience, and humility, 
postpones his answer without positively refusing 
our request; we are thus aroused to a vigorous 
use of the means prescribed for the attainment of 
an object, and led to a strict search as to whether 
we are complying with the conditions of the 
promises. 

Phillips Brooks said, “Prayer is not conquer¬ 
ing God’s reluctance, but laying hold upon God’s 
willingness.” The whole difficulty in making the 
connection is with us, not with him. We are in 
the “easy access car” into which the doors are 
wide and slide readily at the touch of faith. He 


PRACTICAL POINTS ABOUT PRAYER 35 

is even more willing to give than we are to take. 
But we rarely believe it. The chief hindrance 
to successful prayer is sin, for the slightest iniq¬ 
uity cherished in the heart prevents free access 
to God; one cannot wrestle with God and wrangle 
with his neighbor; Christ showed that an unfor¬ 
giving spirit was fatal to divine acceptance. To 
ask “in Christ’s name” is to ask in the spirit or 
stead of Christ, in the character of his servant, in 
the interests of his kingdom, and, through his 
intercession, for such things as he has author¬ 
ized; this cuts off selfish prayers, and bids us 
look to our motives. 

Living in the name or spirit of Jesus must 
precede asking in that name. The latter is easy 
when the former, which is difficult, is secured. 
Jesus (John 15. 7) gives utterance to this truth 
in different language when he says, “If ye abide 
in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatso¬ 
ever ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” But 
the mere retention of his words in the mind or 
memory will, of course, not suffice. They must 
control our habits of thought and be embodied 
in our deeds. Then we are so completely united 
to him by a living faith that we shall have no 
desires or petitions other than those which he 
himself would offer. To ask believingly is to 
ask in reliance upon some declaration of God’s 
willingness to bestow the things asked; the 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


36 

prayer that is pillared on promises will be pin¬ 
nacled with praises; only the prayer that comes 
from heaven will go to heaven. The voice is a 
help in prayer; use it in the closet; to pray aloud 
keeps the attention from wandering, concentrates 
thought, prepares us for leading in public, and 
prevents vain repetitions that have no purpose be¬ 
hind them. Prayer is the key to the Christian 
life, the test of its genuineness, the measure of its 
might; a spurious, formal piety does not truly 
pray; only from the holy heart comes the prayer 
that is not hollow, that does not smack of the 
force pump rather than the fountain; one cannot 
pray cream if he is living skim milk. 

There are three stages of growth commonly 
discernible in the Christian consciousness con¬ 
cerning prayer, namely, prayer as a refuge in 
emergencies, prayer as a habit at appointed times, 
and prayer as a state of continuous living. This 
last stage—indicated in Scripture by the phrase, 
“Praying always with all prayer and supplica¬ 
tion”—is realized by comparatively few. But it 
is our only safety, as well as our highest delight 
and deepest peace. Since we are in continual 
peril from the manifold temptations on every 
side, we should be in continual prayer. Only 
this can correct the restlessness so readily fostered 
by the present age. Only this can bring power, 
for it gives us unbroken contact with him who 


PRACTICAL POINTS ABOUT PRAYER 37 

alone is mighty. The things which are done in 
a spirit of prayer are very sure to prosper. Both 
mental and moral health are inseparably linked 
with it. Let us pray more. Let us pray always. 

To stretch my hand and touch Him, 

Though he be far away; 

To raise my eyes and see Him 
Through darkness as through day; 

To lift my voice and call Him— 

This is to pray! 

To feel a hand extended 
By One who standeth near; 

To view the love that shineth 
In eyes serene and clear; 

To know that he is calling— 

This is to hear! 


6 


A BIBLE BUDGET 

The Bible is the most wonderful book ever 
written, fullest of God, best for men. It is the 
only universal book, adapted to all races, all 
centuries, all classes of people. It has in it some¬ 
thing for each and for all, no matter what their 
age or degree of mental development. It is intel¬ 
ligible to the dullest, inexhaustible to the keenest. 
“It has shallows where a lamb may wade, and 
depths where an elephant must swim.” It is the 
most ancient of books, yet the newest. It has 
been the center of perpetual and passionate con¬ 
flicts throughout the ages, but has won a succes¬ 
sion of marvelous victories. It is the book of mag¬ 
nificent achievements. It is the greatest civilizer 
the world has known. It has proved itself the 
purifier and regenerator of mankind. It speaks 
with highest authority concerning the facts and 
doctrines of redemption, and concerning the 
principles of conduct for daily life. Its authority 
is inherent and intrinsic, resting on the truth it 
conveys, truth which finds prompt echo in such 
human hearts as are willing to obey it, truth 
which burns its way into the inmost soul. We 
38 


A BIBLE BUDGET 


39 


know it to be inspired, or breathed through by 
God, because it inspires all who yield themselves 
to its influence. 

Being thus precious, the only stream that can 
really quench our spiritual thirst, the only table 
where our souls can find fit nourishment, the only 
lamp whose steady ray shall guide us heaven¬ 
ward, the only tree whose healing leaves bring 
health to the heart, the pilgrim’s staff, the mari¬ 
ner’s compass, the warrior’s sword, all in one, 
it is evident that the right use of it is essential 
to the growth of the inner life. Disrelish for it 
or neglect of it is a fatal symptom, springing 
from nothing else than coldness toward its divine 
Author. The genuine Christian will be an ardent 
lover of the Bible. He will study it. The little 
study of it in these days, its supersession, with 
most church members, by the newspaper, the 
novel and the magazine, explains the weakness 
of the church and points to a sadly prevailing 
worldliness. 

There are many methods of study that may be 
used and various rules to be observed. It is well to 
read the book through consecutively a few times 
to get acquaintance with all its parts. But quali¬ 
tative analysis is more important here than 
quantitative. There is no necessary blessing in 
much reading, any more than in much speaking 
to God. To select some special book for close 


40 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


exhaustive examination is a good plan, going 
through it minutely and repeatedly until satu¬ 
rated with it and master of it in all details. To 
study by topics is excellent, to take up particular 
doctrines, to trace the history of prominent per¬ 
sons, to follow special words, like “verily,” or 
“believe,” or “blessed,” or “walk.” A concord¬ 
ance or Bible text-book is a necessity. Much 
depends on the free use of pen or pencil for 
concentrating attention and preserving the results 
of labor. A marked Bible—with marginal notes, 
illustrative, experimental, practical, personal— 
has vast value. One should be familiar by name 
with the golden chapters. One should have at 
least a hundred of the jeweled verses at his 
tongue’s end. To commit to memory one verse 
a day would not be a formidable task, but if 
practiced for a series of years, with an occasional 
review, the results would be immensely bene¬ 
ficial. A company of like-minded people, tak¬ 
ing it up together, could help each other very 
much. 

Great freshness is given to the Bible by reading 
it in another language than one’s own, in the 
original tongue, of course, most of all, and in 
other tongues. A new English translation, such 
as the American Revised Version or the Twenti¬ 
eth Century New Testament, by its unac¬ 
customed phrases and changes in language helps 


A BIBLE BUDGET 


4i 


to set the mind at work. And this is the one 
main thing, to be sought by all means, that the 
mind should really work at the Word, to get out 
of it, as out of a mine, gems of truth. The exact 
meaning of the original writer should be mas¬ 
tered, if possible, first, then adaptations to our 
own times and analogical applications to our 
own needs may fittingly be found. Reason, re¬ 
search, imagination, affection, volition should all 
come in play, the two latter especially. 

Devotional study is even more important for 
the Christian than critical or theological. He 
may not be qualified for the latter; he is for the 
former. He can find spiritual lessons where 
correct doctrinal inferences might escape him. 
To this end let him pore over it on his knees, if 
not literally, then metaphorically; that is, in the 
spirit of prayer for divine help, of reverence 
and humility, with an appropriating faith, with 
a patient waiting for light, with a sincere purpose 
to obey whatever may be clearly revealed as 
duty. A little read in this way will do more 
good than much read carelessly, formally, per¬ 
functorily. A true reading will inform the mind, 
warm the heart, kindle the soul, direct the life. 
Regular, systematic reading is important, once, 
twice, or thrice a day as circumstances may re¬ 
quire or permit, with special time given to the 
matter on Sunday. A chronological reading 


42 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


helps not a little; that is, a reading of some ar¬ 
rangement like that in Professor R. G. Moulton’s 
Modern Reader’s Bible, which puts each book or 
portion in the order in which it was written 
so far as modern scholarship can ascertain the 
fact. 

Out of the great mass of Holy Scripture each 
person selects, by a natural affinity, for his own 
private, personal use those particular passages 
which most appeal to him and impress him. It 
is these he commits to memory. It is on these 
he feeds his soul. Let him copy them into a 
little book which shall be his own special Bible. 
One chapter in it will be a collection of the 
choicest promises; another will contain the most 
needful precepts; still another will have praises 
for its theme, and yet others will be made up of 
prayers, or purposes, or privileges, or questions, 
or nugget statements of truth under some other 
classification. This little book which he has 
thus, in a sense, made for himself with great 
pains will be worth more to him than whole 
libraries. He will carry it in his pocket, consult 
it at all times, lie down with it at night, rise up 
with it in the morning, feast upon it continually. 
How can one better use time than thus? Such 
a one will become a stalwart Christian, armed 
against temptation, equipped for work, filled with 
the joy of Jesus, taking on more and more the 


A BIBLE BUDGET 43 

image of the Master, filled increasingly with the 
Holy Spirit. 

Thou truest friend man ever knew, 

Thy constancy I’ve tried; 

When all were false, I found thee true. 

My counselor and guide. 

The mines of earth no treasure give 
That could this volume buy; 

In teaching me the way to live, 

It taught me how to die! 

Blessed Bible! how I love it, 

How it doth my spirit cheer; 

What hath earth like this to covet? 

O what stores of wealth are here! 

Yes, I’ll to my bosom press thee, 

Precious word, I’ll hide thee here; 

Sure, my very heart shall bless thee, 

For thou ever say’st good cheer. 


7 

GROWTH—ITS MARKS AND MEANS 

Growth will not take care of itself. Professor 
Henry Drummond, early in life, taught that it 
would. He said, “The soul grows as the lily 
grows, without trying, without ever thinking 
about it.” But, later on, he saw that he had 
made a very serious mistake, that natural laws 
would not apply to the spiritual world as com¬ 
pletely as he had imagined, that the analogy of 
the plant is deceptive and defective when 
pressed in all respects upon creatures with free 
will and personal responsibility. The plant is 
helpless in a way that man is not. It is a funda¬ 
mental difference. There are hindrances to 
growth which we may remove; there are con¬ 
ditions of growth which we must fulfill; there 
are means of growth which it is incumbent upon 
us to use. So that if we fail to grow it will 
be distinctly our own fault. 

Presupposing the all-essential condition of 
life, which does not come by growth but is im¬ 
parted through a new birth, the next thing to be 
noted as necessary is Food. Jesus declares, “I 
am the bread of life,” that is, the food of the 

44 


GROWTH—ITS MARKS AND MEANS 45 

soul. He says that if we are to grow we must 
“eat his flesh and drink his blood.” It is an 
exceedingly forcible figure, meant to impress 
indelibly the closeness of our dependence upon 
our Head. What can eating his flesh mean but 
constant contemplation of his example? What 
can drinking his blood signify but our accept¬ 
ance of his atoning sacrifice? If we attend to 
these, forsaking all self-trust, and studying 
night and day his doings, we shall surely grow 
up into him, we shall take on his likeness. 

But many have little appetite for this nourish¬ 
ing food. Either their vitality is not vigorous, 
owing to a poor start, or their relish for whole¬ 
some viands has been in some way spoiled. The 
question of growth largely resolves itself into 
how to keep hungry for the right things. It is 
not well to depend on artificial stimulants, such 
as may be found in certain highly seasoned 
concoctions, sensational contrivances, emotional 
extravagances and effervescences. If they have 
any use, it is only a slight one. The main re¬ 
liance must be on pure air and plenty of exer¬ 
cise. Our spiritual atmosphere is made up by 
the company we keep. The Christian’s light 
will burn very dim, his life come near to extinc¬ 
tion, if he is much in worldly society. He must 
either find suitable companions or make them. 
And while he may be restricted as to living 


4 6 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


persons, he has in the Bible and in other good 
books a plentiful supply of the very best and 
most stimulating fellowship to which he can 
resort whenever he pleases. 

As to exercise—“exercise thyself unto god¬ 
liness”—it is significant that the initials of “Go 
Right On Working” spell “grow.” There is a ' 
hint, in this sentence, of steady persistence 
under difficulties, of courageous self-denial, of 
enduring hardship as good soldiers, of severe 
training such as gymnasts or runners find nec¬ 
essary and delight in to toughen their muscles 
and increase their power. There is no other 
path to lasting benefit. Spurts are of little ac¬ 
count. Nothing will show a man his own weak¬ 
ness quicker than to attempt to labor for others. 
This will speedily drive him to the Lord for 
help. The more he enters into good works the 
more will his appetite for Jesus revive. He 
will be obliged to begin moderately if he is in 
poor health, but he will soon find that he can 
greatly increase the amount of his undertaking, 
and that fresh blood will course through his 
veins in the most exhilarating manner. 

Many other matters connected with our reli¬ 
gious growth, or the intensifying of the spirit¬ 
ual life, can only be touched on here in the 
briefest way. For the development of emotion 
—and this has a place in our progress, though 


GROWTH—ITS MARKS AND MEANS 47 

not, perhaps, a very large one—what can be 
better than singing? It is well to let the soul 
pour itself out in praise, using the phrases which 
other minds have struck out at their highest 
pitch of inspiration. The combined tides of 
poetry and melody will sweep the spirit on over 
great obstacles. A hymn is a wing, and when 
mated with suitable music it helps the soul to 
soar. Faith will be strengthened when brought 
into daily use in the little things as well as the 
large ones of life. Love will increase in the 
same way, as we practice it upon all sorts of 
people, especially under forbidding conditions. 
And the same is true of the other graces. Much 
prayer, above all, and beneath all, and mixed 
with all, prolonged communion with God, a 
talking with him that is increasingly continuous 
and familiar, will tend mightily to progress, and 
will itself be one of the best marks of progress. 

What are some other marks of growth? A 
more contsant and more vivid sense of the pres¬ 
ence of the Lord, of his intimate nearness as one 
to be spoken to and talked with. Each year 
should bring a more continuous feeling of the 
closeness of the divine. We should ask our¬ 
selves, Do I perceive God in all the events of 
daily life, in his Word and his works, in provi¬ 
dence and in nature, more quickly and joyfully 
than I used to do? There will be greater free- 


48 THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 

dom from anxiety if we are truly advancing. 
This means that we have more fully learned 
how to trust our heavenly Father, have found 
that, after taking quietly such steps as seemed 
to be necessary for the protection of the interests 
committed to our charge, we can safely leave the 
issue, with perfect peace, in God's hands, ready 
to accept gladly whatever he sends. We shall 
have a warmer devotion to Christ and a lessened 
attachment to the world. The two things go 
together, for the spirit of the world and the 
spirit of Jesus are directly contrary, the one to 
the other. The close, personal friendship of the 
Saviour is one of the sweetest and most precious 
things that anyone can possess. Have we more 
of it than we once had? Is the attitude of the 
hot lovers of the Lord more intelligible to us 
than it used to be? Do their expressions of 
endearment find a fuller response in our own 
soul? Do worldly pleasures have less attraction 
for us and worldly maxims disgust us more? 
As we go on there will be a prompter recog¬ 
nition and a heartier acceptance of the divine 
will. Our watchfulness to know will get keener, 
also our gladness to do. We shall find it easier 
to see his face when it is wrapped around with 
thick disguises, to hear his voice the first time 
he speaks, to behold his hand in whatever occurs, 
to welcome his good pleasure when it comes in 


GROWTH—ITS MARKS AND MEANS 49 

unpleasing shapes. We shall know better how to 
manage temptations of all kinds, how to detect 
the first approach of evil, how to tell whether 
or not we have yielded in any degree to the 
enemy. Many in the earlier stages of the Chris¬ 
tian life do not distinguish between sin and the 
incitement to sin, and are thereby brought into 
bondage. That is remedied as we get along. 
And, being strengthened in the upper ranges of 
our being, the lower appetites and passions sub¬ 
siding more and more into the place of complete 
subjection originally designed for them, the 
tempter increasingly loses his advantage and it 
becomes more natural to do right. There will 
be greater unselfishness, more fervent love for 
our fellow men, less absorption in our own nar¬ 
row interests, larger compassion for the suffer¬ 
ing, toiling masses on whom the Saviour looked 
with such pity. Our love will be more simple 
and more ardent, not to the good only but to the 
froward and disagreeable. So shall we be em¬ 
phatically disciples of our loving Lord, happy, 
growing, working, winning Christians. 

Heaven is not reached by a single bound; 

But we build the ladder by which we rise 
From the lowly earth to the vaulted skies, 

And we mount to its summit round by round. 


8 


“BLESSED ASSURANCE” 

Yes, assurance is truly blessed, certainty 
breeds courage; knowledge is power, just as 
doubt and fear are weakness and misery. Yet 
it is not so very long ago that assurance was 
accounted in many quarters a positive sin; and 
even now, once in a while, we hear something 
to the same effect. It is said that the highest 
goodness is wholly unconscious of its self; that 
if anyone thinks he is humble, it is a conclusive 
proof of spiritual pride, and that the more reli¬ 
gion a man has the less he feels like talking about 
it. With this class of critics if a person speaks 
with any confidence of his religious attainments, 
he convicts himself, in their minds, of not hav¬ 
ing attained. This making a virtue of doubt 
and uncertainty may be necessary to the creed 
which contains the baseless dogma, “ once in 
grace, always in grace.” And, of course, vain¬ 
glorious vaunting is obnoxious wherever seen. 
But in a proper spirit and under suitable cir¬ 
cumstances to declare what God has done for 
us, and to know where we stand with him, we 
firmly hold to be both a duty and a privilege. 
50 


‘BLESSED ASSURANCE’ 


Si 


Confessing Christ is not congratulation of self. 
In all simplicity and straightforward sincerity 
to bear plain witness to established facts is one 
sure way of doing good. It is no impeachment 
of our meekness or modesty to make public 
acknowledgment of the victories that we have 
won by faith in the all-conquering name of 
Jesus. Humility does not demand self-depreci¬ 
ation, nor consist in either actual or assumed 
ignorance. Why should not a person be fully 
aware that by God’s blessing on the appointed 
means he has made a considerable stride for¬ 
ward during a given period of special oppor¬ 
tunity? Why should he not make mention of 
it where he deems it will be likely to benefit 
others? Christ Jesus, our Example, was in no 
degree unconscious of his own excellence, his 
meekness and spotlessness of life; he openly 
challenged his adversaries to find any flaw 
therein. Saint Paul was not backward in assert¬ 
ing his integrity when he saw the need, and in 
mentioning the revelations which God had 
vouchsafed to him. Saint John’s affirmations 
are of the most positive and unequivocal kind. 
He says: “Hereby we know that we are of the 
truth, and shall assure our hearts before him”; 
“We know that we have passed from death unto 
life, because we love the brethren”; “We know 
that he abideth in us, by the spirit which he hath 


52 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


given us”; “We know that we know him if we 
keep his commandments.” Texts like these— 
and there are many more of them—furnish 
ample warrant for the believer to express him¬ 
self with decision. 

A large portion of our hymnology is at fault 
in that it ministers to hesitancy of expression, 
and teaches people to be content with idle wishes 
that they were better. It is couched in the opta¬ 
tive rather than the indicative mood, and thus 
tends to lull to sleep those who repeat it, and 
make them feel quite virtuous because they have 
uttered these pious hopes. When they have 
sung, “O for a heart to praise,” “O for a closer 
walk,” “I want a principle within,” they are 
prone to imagine that they are quite a little 
nearer the goal, although the fact may be that 
they have only quieted their conscience with 
empty desires, which will not be followed by 
any vigorous practical measures. It is much to 
be feared that the constant use of petitions which 
point to a blissful future only, and have in them 
no grip of present belief, has a tendency to post¬ 
pone action. Whatever may be the necessities 
of public congregations who cannot be expected 
to take upon their lips rapturous expressions or 
high professions, the believer, in his private 
devotions, will find much profit in transposing 
the hymns from the future to the present tense 


‘BLESSED ASSURANCE’ 


53 


and from the optative to the indicative mood. 
Instead of singing, “O for a faith,” let him sing, 
if he can do so honestly, “I have a faith.” And 
if he is conscious of not having it, let him think 
shame to himself, and take immediate steps to 
get it. Instead of declaring over and over, “I 
need thee every hour”—a good starting place 
but a miserable stopping place—let him boldly 
break forth with, “I have thee every hour.” 
Instead of the weak, meaningless, ineffective, 
“Lord, I would clasp thy hand in mine”—what's 
to hinder?—let him say, “Lord, I will clasp my 
hand in thine,” or, better still, “I do.” This 
signifies the actual putting forth of the hand of 
faith, and the oftener we do that the happier 
and stronger we are. A close study of the 
Hymnal will reveal multitudinous instances 
where such a change can be made with great 
benefit. 

There are three things in religion which can¬ 
not be fully known: “The love of Christ passeth 
knowledge,” “The peace of God passeth under¬ 
standing,” and “The ways of God are past find¬ 
ing out.” But even these things may be com¬ 
prehended to a very blessed degree, and in¬ 
creasingly as we grow. “We know the love 
which God hath to us.” “We know that all 
things work together for good to them that love 
God.” “We know him whom we have believed, 


54 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


and the power of his resurrection.” “We know 
that we have a building of God, eternal in the 
heavens. ,, There is such a thing as “the full 
assurance of faith,” “the full assurance of hope,” 
and “the full assurance of understanding.” 
We may know that our sins are blotted out, 
that we are born again into the family divine 
by the “Spirit of his Son” which God hath sent 
into our hearts, there making witness to his 
presence and begetting the children’s cry; this 
inward witness being, of course, always con¬ 
firmed by the outward testimony of good works 
which are made manifest without fail in those 
who have received salvation. We may know 
what God would have us to do at any particular 
moment, for the Father will not leave his chil¬ 
dren who have the spirit of obedience without 
clear witness to his will. We may know “the 
things that are freely given to us by God,” not 
through any miraculous imparting of special 
information as to our personal state, but 
through the regular channels of revelation and 
inspiration which lay bare the treasures of 
wisdom and felicity that the Father “hath pre¬ 
pared for them that love him.” 

We are told by the prophet Isaiah that “the 
effect of righteousness shall be quietness and 
assurance forever.” Let not the child of God 
suffer himself to be without this “foretaste of 


‘BLESSED ASSURANCE’ 


55 


glory divine.” Without it he cannot praise his 
Saviour all the day long, nor gain the victories 
which should be his. It is no undue assumption, 
no unseemly boasting, to declare without quali¬ 
fication or hesitation, with faith unshaken, the 
settled facts, the burning truths, of our experi¬ 
ence. What we have seen and known with con¬ 
fidence we may tell. There is pressing need that 
an open, unequivocal, definite stand be taken and 
maintained for highest righteousness and the 
full privileges of grace. It will do us good, for 
expression intensifies feeling. It will do others 
good, for in this way we let our light shine. 
It will be for the greater glory of God. 

His name yields the richest perfume, 

And sweeter than music his voice; 

His presence disperses my gloom, 

And makes all within me rejoice; 

I do, since he’s always thus nigh, 

Have nothing to wish or to fear; 

No mortal so happy as I, 

My summer now lasts all the year. 

Content with beholding his face, 

My all to his pleasure resigned, 

No changes of season or place 
Can make any change in my mind; 

Since I’m blessed with a sense of his love 
A palace a toy would appear; 

And prisons would palaces prove 

Since Jesus would dwell with me there. 






' 









PART II 

MORAL DUTIES 


57 


































































































































9 


THE DOMINANCE OF DUTY 

Men may be divided into two classes—those 
who recognize the dominance of duty, and those 
who do not. The former class—they with 
whom conscience is always supreme and princi¬ 
ple easily paramount—they alone live on the 
heights. They take rank by themselves, far 
above such as follow pleasure, inclination, desire. 
Why their supremacy? What is duty that it 
should thus command the uttermost allegiance of 
the noblest spirits, and make them ennobled by 
its leadership? Duty affirms something to be 
due, just as the word “ought” contains the 
avowal that we owe. Both alike declare our 
dependence on a higher Power, whose we really 
are and whom we should serve, to whom uncon¬ 
ditional obedience belongs. They declare we 
have a debt to God, to the highest ideal of good¬ 
ness and virtue which it is in our power to 
conceive. Our Creator, in his infinite benevo¬ 
lence, has implanted this instinct or impulse 
within us, to draw us or bind us to himself, and 
only in extremest cases of moral wreck and ruin, 
if ever, can it be entirely eradicated. “Stern 
59 


6o 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


daughter of the voice of God” Wordsworth 
poetically calls it. Since it is an infallible token 
that we are the sons and daughters of Deity, 
might we not, rather, term it a portion or germ 
of God himself, a ray of light divine, illuminat¬ 
ing every mortal breast. To its mandate we 
must hearken, for it has closest affiliation with 
Him from whom we come. It testifies to our 
origin and our destiny. Its message is, “Do 
right and prosper; do wrong, and no real peace 
or genuine happiness is possible to thee.” 

No man can choose his duties. He must ac¬ 
cept or reject those which Providence presents. 
There is no third course. He may shut his eyes 
to the light, and try to persuade himself that 
some things more pleasant, and not these pain¬ 
ful, difficult things, are what is required of him. 
But it will be of no use. They will remain 
duties just the same. If they come to him in the 
order of God’s will, his only hope of true peace 
and prosperity lies in manfully performing them. 
He will not, by endeavoring to flee, escape the 
pain or the trouble from which he shrinks. 
Pain and trouble are inevitable to everyone who 
lives. But one may very easily lose the con¬ 
solation, the high support, the glorious thrill of 
joy, the developed character, the ennobled man¬ 
hood or womanhood, which come only to him 
or her who stands firmly in the place allotted 


THE DOMINANCE OF DUTY 61 

and holds bravely till death the post assigned. 
Genuine heroism may be shown in humble 
homes. Daniels and Jonahs—alas, many more 
of the latter than the former—are seen on every 
side. To trust in 1 God and do the right remains, 
amid all changing fashions, the one path to 
lasting renown. Failure of the most absolute 
kind is his who deliberately turns his back on a 
duty clearly shown, or lowers his standard that 
he may not be inconvenienced by its strictness. 
To be thoroughgoing, whole-hearted, out-and- 
out, to be absolutely dependable, never known 
to compromise with evil or make conditions in 
the service of God, faltering not in allegiance, 
found ever in the forefront of battle, giving God 
the benefit of the doubt, faithful, staunch, stead¬ 
fast, loyal, is glorious; yet, after all, it would not 
be considered a very high state but for the sad 
fact that so few continuously live it. 

Which is the greater, duty or love? The 
question is perhaps academic rather than prag¬ 
matic or practical. Taken at their best, duty 
and love are scarcely more than two sides of the 
same thing, and no actual conflict between them 
can be presumed. The only trouble is when love 
is not taken at its best, does not stand for the 
highest or divine affection, but for something 
distinctly lower and purely human, such as is 
found in the family. This love takes a subordi- 


62 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


nate place, as is seen by Christ’s asserting his para¬ 
mount claim over all domestic attachments. Duty 
may be termed loyalty to a principle, love loyalty 
to a person. And since we have in the person of 
God, or the God-man, a perfect manifestation of 
all high principle, love and duty find in him their 
common center and can never clash. Both are 
phases of feeling which prompt us to sacrifice 
inclination and put selfishness under foot. Duty 
turns our thought to the more solid, abiding 
aspect of God’s service, and reminds us that right 
things are to be done any way, whether there be 
much feeling about it or not. Love diffuses bright¬ 
ness about the deed, clothes the granite rocks with 
flowers and sunshine. Love furnishes the strong¬ 
est motive power; duty is the best guide in action. 
Duty is the firm foundation of the deed, to which 
love adds beauty and finish. No course of con¬ 
duct is perfect, no character is complete, which 
does not include both. It is the glory of Jesus 
that for his followers he links love and law, weds 
passion and righteousness, begets an affection for 
duty, and so unites the strongest elements that 
go to make stalwart manhood. 

Not everyone can be great even in usefulness. 
Large capacities and opportunities are the por¬ 
tion of but a few. But everyone can completely 
fill the sphere which has been allotted him, and 
can be useful according to God’s will. A great 


THE DOMINANCE OF DUTY 


63 


many persons are so busy looking for some ex¬ 
traordinary thing to accomplish that they forget 
how many ordinary things there are in plenty all 
about them by doing which extraordinarily well 
they may achieve distinction and gain the glory 
they desire. To feel that we have done our duty 
to the best of our ability is a higher reward than 
anything earth has to offer; if securely conscious 
of this, we can look with entire unconcern on the 
coming or the passing of human honors. To do 
our best is the most splendid of honors, the sweet¬ 
est of satisfactions. We have the flowers and the 
fragrance, the scepter and the crown. “Angels 
could do no more.” 

Find out what God would have you do. 

And do that little well; 

For what is great and what is small 
Tis only he can tell. 

Whether we are known or unknown, prominent or 
obscure, useful on a large scale or on a very small 
one, is wholly God’s affair; faithfulness to oppor¬ 
tunity and duty is our part. This is what makes 
life very simple, and destroys those conventional 
distinctions which bulk so largely, as a rule, on 
human vision. Our mission may be accomplished 
and our character wrought out to its desired and 
destined end anywhere. We are splendidly in¬ 
dependent of man just because we are so splen¬ 
didly dependent on God, and him alone. If we 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


64 

fully accept the authority of conscience, and con¬ 
form scrupulously to its dictates, we are lifted 
into the highest order of beings; we are made 
good soldiers in the realm of righteousness, who 
can stand steady at their posts though all the 
powers of darkness assail and though the heavens 
themselves may seem to fall. Such do not belong 
to the feeble, fickle folk who need to be cossetted 
and cuddled, whose piety is of the flimsy, flabby 
order, too pliable and plastic to be counted on 
when things are hard. They find in the dis¬ 
charge of every moral obligation their deepest 
happiness, and they regard with entire serenity 
whatever obloquy may temporarily attach to it. 

The longer on this earth we live 
And weigh the various qualities of men, 

The more we feel the high, stern-featured beauty 
Of plain devotedness to duty, 

Steadfast and still, nor paid with mortal praise, 

But finding amplest recompense 
For life’s ungarlanded expense 
In work done squarely and unwasted days. 


10 

HIGHEST HEROISM 

Heroism, the finest earth can show, is revealed 
in him who steadily works on, unpraised and un¬ 
noticed, doing faithfully that which is intrusted 
to him by the Master, be it small or large, and 
standing in his place to the end with undiminished 
enthusiasm, however inconspicuous, ill-requited, 
and laborious the post. This requires a courage 
not often seen, and far nobler than that exhibited 
on battlefields. Quiet endurance is much harder 
than spectacular exploits in high places. The 
strife for truths unpopular means more than 
valiant deeds with martial weapons. Intellectual 
courage is rarer than physical, and higher; it is 
the courage which dares all obloquy, which freely 
risks place and purse, which counts it gain and 
glory to be “in the right with two or three.” Such 
a one is ready to follow the light of evidence to 
the most unwelcome conclusions, to accept at any 
cost that which comes with sufficient credentials. 

Moral courage is another form or application 
of the same magnificent spirit. Its praises have 
been sung by many tongues, but never can be sung 
too loudly. He alone is truly great who is will- 
65 


66 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


mg to fight alone, for principle, against all odds, 
trusting in the God of righteousness and finding 
comfort in his cause. This courage may show 
itself in willingness to be one of the minority, 
lonely, shunned, pointed at and warned against, 
called heretic and infidel. Or, quite conceivably, 
with some natures built on another pattern, it 
may be equally manifest in a willingness just to 
be in the majority, undistinguished from the com¬ 
mon crowd. Under all circumstances it signifies 
being lifted above merely personal considerations 
or selfish preferences and profits; it implies kin¬ 
ship with the eternal forces of purity and virtue. 

The conflict which we are called to wage with 
myriad foes in the process of perfecting Chris¬ 
tian character demands a high type of heroism, 
and affords an unsurpassed field for its display. 
There is no order of nobility equal to that which 
may be achieved, if we set ourselves stoutly at 
it, in this free-for-all competition for lofty place 
in the family of the King of kings. To win God’s 
constant smile, his perfect praise, and worthily 
represent him at the courts and camps of earth, 
is ambition enough for any, and sufficient to ex¬ 
haust every energy. Most Christians are too 
little ambitious, too readily content with low 
things in the matter of spiritual attainment. 
They satisfy themselves with the comparative 
when they should resolutely fix their thought on 


HIGHEST HEROISM 


67 


the superlative. They talk about being “more 
faithful” without seeming to see that this resolve 
smacks strongly of disloyalty to the Lord. It 
leaves open a door to the enemy, it provides for 
something less than entire faithfulness. It says 
“Some of self, and some of Thee,” when the 
language ought to be “None of self, and all of 
Thee.” No one with deliberate intent should 
contemplate anything less than completeness in 
Christ. If there be some falling short in spite of 
largest endeavor, because of some weakness of 
the flesh, let not the spirit strike hands with such 
unwillingness or admit of the least compromise 
with the foe. The only sqfe way is to resolve to 
be the best. Saint Paul plainly teaches his fol¬ 
lowers to be ambitious, and declares that he him¬ 
self is so, using three times—1 Thess. 4. 11; 2 
Cor. 5. 9; Rom. 15. 20—a Greek compound which 
stands distinctly and unequivocally for love of 
fame. Fame of the right sort, according to 
heavenly standards, fame for pushing the con¬ 
quests of the gospel in “the regions beyond,” or 
living in closest companionship with the Most 
High, is something no right-minded person can 
be indifferent to; the more of it the better. 

There is such a thing as calling our indolence 
humility, and being content with a low place 
in the kingdom because not having energy and 
self-sacrifice enough to push for the highest. 


68 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


There is such a thing as a meager and stinted 
and stunted salvation. It is too often seen. If 
religion with us is a business, not a byplay, if 
we are professionals, so to speak, and not am¬ 
ateurs, then, indeed, courage will be called for, 
and there will be a sphere for our utmost powers. 
Is any other position or practice befitting? 
Should there not be more specialization in favor 
of spiritualization, the sacrifice of all other 
things that the one thing—closest fellowship with 
God—may have unobstructed right of way ? 
Should we not set ourselves at this work with a 
will, and make the most of all our opportunities ? 
Should we not fling our banners to the breeze and 
make our example tell for as much as possible? 
We should dare to seem as good as we are, as 
well as dread to be counted better than we are. 
Courage is as important as humility. We should 
not only shun shams, we should beware of faint¬ 
heartedness and fearfulness. There must be a 
passion for goodness, on the one hand, an increas¬ 
ing devotion to the Saviour, an exceeding relish 
for undefiled religion; and, on the other hand, 
closely corresponding, a positive antagonism to 
evil of every kind. Neutrality will not answer, 
is not really possible. Indifference is complicity. 
A man is constructively guilty of all those sins 
he does not hate. The only safe position is to be 
headed for the heights, unweariedly pressing on 


HIGHEST HEROISM 


69 


and up, with a cheerful, immovable determination 
to reach the loftiest peaks. Here, and here alone, 
is unrestricted scope for the noblest powers, the 
grandest attainments, the largest developments. 
The endeavor itself is success. There can be no 
failure. There is a rapture in pursuing. There is 
a greatness in being what God meant by us when 
he made us, and so gaining his “Well done.” 

Before God’s footstool to confess 
A poor soul knelt, and bowed his head. 

“I failed,” he wailed. The Master said, 

“Thou did’st thy best—that is success.” 

Whether we climb, whether we plod, 

Space for one task the scant years lend, 

To choose some path that leads to God, 

And keep it to the end. 


11 


MANSIONS OF THE SOUL 

That the soul is the temporary tenant of the 
body, whose crumbling walls will soon turn into 
dust and loam, the whilom lodger, freed from his 
clay cottage, taking on an investiture more ex¬ 
actly corresponding to character, handsomer than 
before, or otherwise, as the case may be—this is 
a thought of much importance, quite familiar to 
us all. But it is not precisely the thought sug¬ 
gested by the phrase above. When the poet ex¬ 
horted the soul to build itself “more stately man¬ 
sions,” he was not speaking of the future life, but 
the inner life. The new temples, each nobler than 
the last, with vaster domes and higher-vaulted 
rooms, which he calls upon the soul to construct, 
are things of the present, of the passing years. 
Of what are they to be constructed? Not of flesh 
and blood. For though soul helps body and body 
helps soul, or hinders, it is not the soul’s physical 
dwelling that is of chief significance. There 
are palaces of thought, there are temples of 
truth, there are castles of reflection, there are 
mansions of mind. There are ideals of noble¬ 
ness and images of perfection, there are im- 
70 


MANSIONS OF THE SOUL 


71 

aginations, aspirations, inspirations, there are 
views of life that have magnitude and magna¬ 
nimity, altitude and allurement. This constitutes 
the spiritual body, the house not made with 
hands, eternal in its quality, heavenly in its nature. 

The materials that enter into the making of 
these mansions are great thoughts, bright visions, 
altruistic emotions, hopes, affections, memories. 
He who has most of love and sympathy, of char¬ 
ity and piety, of sacrifice and service, of justice 
and generosity, of heavenly-mindedness and 
brotherly kindness, he inhabits a dwelling both 
spacious and splendid. How is he to get it ? By 
much converse with the Infinite. By worshiping 
the All-perfect. By communing also with the 
great minds of earth, the heroes and the martyrs, 
the saints and the sages, the poets and the proph¬ 
ets. By a good deal of prayer, mixed with 
deeds sublime. To believe greatly, love fervently, 
trust widely, hope always for the best, and strive 
to make the world better—this wonderfully aids. 
So does doing the best one knows, living fully up 
to one’s largest light, conscientiousness, reality, 
robust, unflinching faithfulness. Our deeds de¬ 
termine us, in one sense; so do our thoughts. 
Our ideals shape our behavior. Our conduct, on 
the other hand, has much to do with forming our 
ideals. We do not easily plan for advances 
greatly beyond our daily limit of endeavor. Nor 


72 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


will much progress be possible unless we see 
clearly the higher thing to which we have not yet 
attained. The loftier our living, the roomier will 
be the quarters of the soul, the greater the chance 
for it to expand, to take on bigness, to develop all 
its powers. With what scrupulous care should 
we constantly attend to this all-important labor 
of placing stone upon stone or joining timber with 
timber in the construction of character, this 
hidden work which angels watch so keenly. 

If at present we are conscious that the house 
of our habitation is small, hardly worthy to be 
called a mansion at all, perhaps not even a cabin, 
a kennel rather, then there is indeed very much 
for us to do, and it is high time that we were 
busy with it. We must lay about us lustily, and 
lay hold above us loftily, and summon from near 
and far the elements of strength and beauty that 
will not fail to come at our call. Just as surely 
as we resolve, a palace of splendor may be ours 
in very truth; a palace which may be also a castle, 
from whose walls calamity shall retire baffled in 
every assault, and within which we may reside 
in perfect safety. It is our privilege and prerog¬ 
ative. Why not make the most of it? Let the 
soul have a chance. Let it go on steadily if not 
swiftly from little to large, from less to more, 
from low to high, till it comes to be all its Maker 
meant. How much better that the soul roam 


MANSIONS OF THE SOUL 


73 

through stately chambers, look out over broad 
fields, feast on rich viands, be arrayed in gorgeous 
habiliments, than that the body alone have these 
things. The body may luxuriate in all sumptu¬ 
ousness, while the soul starves in a filthy hovel. 
How often we see it! And the opposite is equally 
true. In some lowliest hut may be a soul dowered 
and decorated, expanded and embellished, sym¬ 
metrical and superb in all its furnishings. One 
may have the swing and sweep of magnificent 
ideas with little of worldly wealth. Alas for 
those, however lordly in their material surround¬ 
ings, who live in contracted spiritual quarters, 
and no outlook God ward. 

We are building day by day, 

As the moments glide away, 

Our temple which the world may not see. 

We are building it room by room, story by story, 
out of stones which ordinary masonry does not 
recognize. All are building something. Out 
of the mass of materials accessible, substantially 
the same for all, each man draws to himself that 
which is congenial, selects that which belongs to 
him, that which he deems to be adapted to the 
needs of his nature. If the guiding principle by 
which he works be right, be clean and holy, then 
all pure and sacred things will flow to him and 
throng about him. He will have a habitation 
rare and radiant, blooming and beautiful, lustrous 


74 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


with light and life. Or he may dwell in squalor 
and foulness if he so elects. 

Silently, in part unconsciously, we fashion the 
structure in which our real life goes on, and in 
which we are to live when we have passed into 
another sphere of existence. It is a building for 
eternity as well as for time, since this temple is 
not made of perishable things. Swiftly roll the 
seasons. Quickly comes the end of earthly 
fashioning and fabrication. “Life’s unresting 
sea” will soon be left behind us. We shall enter 
into the rest that remaineth. 

The “many mansions” of the Father’s house 
above correspond very closely, we are convinced, 
with the many mansions that are being reared all 
the while in this earthly life, which is also our 
Father’s house. The next world is an immediate 
continuation of this, and we do wrong to think of 
death as making any very great separation. 
Happy he whose housing yonder shall be elegant 
and fair because while here he reared a tower 
majestic, a palace beautiful, filled with brightness 
and sweetness, with courage and consecration. 

Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul! 

As the swift seasons roll. 

Leave thy low-vaulted past! 

Let each new temple, nobler than the last, 

Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast 

Till thou at length art free, 

Leaving thine outgrown shell by life’s unresting sea! 


12 


MEEKNESS AND MANLINESS 

That a plain obligation lies upon us to be 
both meek and manly, regal as well as gentle, 
illustrates the complexity of a complete Chris¬ 
tian character, where seemingly opposite virtues 
are properly balanced and symmetry of develop¬ 
ment is attained. Meekness is clearly a duty 
and a beauty. Paul writes to his converts, “I 
beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of 
Christ.” And Christ himself declares, more 
than once, “I am meek.” We are bidden to 
“show all meekness unto all men.” Among the 
fruits of the Spirit there is none more lovely 
than this, none more constantly called for in 
daily life. To give and receive reproofs with 
meekness, to defend the faith with meekness, to 
make answers in this spirit to those that ask a 
reason for our hope, to show forbearance under 
all circumstances, returning soft replies to rough 
questions, maintain peace and patience in the 
midst of pelting provocations—how blessed, how 
attractive, how fraught with unspeakable gain 
and good! For the meek find “rest unto their 
souls,” and “inherit the earth.” 

75 


76 THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 

But meekness need not be weakness. Here is 
the point to be guarded. Here is the misconcep¬ 
tion of its nature which is far too prevalent. A 
scoffing world sets up a caricature of this high 
virtue to bring it into disrepute. Let there be 
careful discrimination. Insensibility or pol¬ 
troonery is not meekness. There is nothing in 
this virtue even to suggest any of those contempt¬ 
ible traits which are by the unthinking so often 
mixed up with it. There is nothing in it incom¬ 
patible with the highest self-respect and the 
strongest antagonism to evil. “Let no man de¬ 
spise thee” was the charge of Paul to both Tim¬ 
othy and Titus; and he also said, “Be ye angry,” 
meaning to enjoin that feeling of keen displeas¬ 
ure for the wrong which is one of the most 
natural, necessary, wholesome properties of 
humanity. They that fear the Lord are to 
“hate evil,” even as the Lord himself did (and 
does), looking round about upon certain persons 
“with anger,” and denouncing their defiant in¬ 
iquity in the most scathing terms. Christian 
anger is just as much needed as Christian meek¬ 
ness, and the two wholly harmonize. It is the 
combination that presents difficulty. To be a 
serpent as well as a dove, a lion no less than a 
lamb, proffers a problem that may well tax our 
powers, and strain us not a little. It is easy, 
for one constitutionally predisposed toward the 


MEEKNESS AND MANLINESS 77 

milder, softer side of conduct or character, to see 
the excellence of such traits and grow rapidly in 
that direction, until his moderation, his mercy, 
his clemency and kindness are known unto all 
men. It is equally easy, if our bent is the other 
way, to become very stern and firm, full of vigor, 
courage, independence, set on strict justice, and 
letting no guilty man escape. But the real test 
of our desire to be exactly right in God’s sight is 
seen in our endeavor for an all-round develop¬ 
ment, our natural deficiencies supplied and our 
natural excesses restrained. 

There is such a thing as being aggressive but 
not repulsive. We may war and yet be winsome, 
be intense in our love for Jesus and yet main¬ 
tain cordial relations with those who are not his 
friends, be loyal to the truth and yet loving to 
neglecters or opponents of the truth. It is a 
delicate line of behavior, and requires very 
straight walking, much mental and moral sound¬ 
ness. There is usually either some laxity as to 
principle or some failure in charity. But our 
perfect Model failed in neither direction, nor need 
we. We may have the righteous anger which is 
not hasty and sinful, but peaceful and deliberate, 
having no malice or personal vengeance in it, 
but filled with vigorous indignation against evil 
and the persistent, confirmed evildoer. There is 
particular need in these days that we magnify 


78 THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 

the divine majesty, that we emphasize the kingly 
attributes of the Most High, that we do not for¬ 
get his sovereignty while making much of his 
Fatherhood. It was the “holy Father” and the 
“righteous Father” that our blessed Lord dis¬ 
closed to men, the heavenly Father who had in 
store the severest of punishments for those who 
cherished an unforgiving spirit. “Our God is a 
consuming fire” as well as an enswathing kiss. 
The Bible declares it, reason demands it, nature 
confirms it. And we, in like manner, are to be 
consuming fires toward iniquity, making no com¬ 
promise with it, smiting with vigorous arm. 

True manliness is one of the main marks of 
a Christian, though it has not always been so 
regarded. There have been those who have 
made a broad distinction between men of honor 
and men of religion. But religion which has no 
regard for honor, which does not carry to the 
highest degree, and put the finest point upon, 
every pagan virtue, as well as add many of which 
paganism knew nothing, is surely not the religion 
which Christ taught and Paul lived. It is a 
mockery of it, and a slimsy substitute for it. 
Christianity fully recognizes the majesty of self, 
the more than princely dignity and importance 
lying wrapped up in every immortal soul. It 
inspires men to assert themselves, and exert them¬ 
selves, and respect themselves as heirs to an 


MEEKNESS AND MANLINESS 


79 


eternal crown and partakers of the divine nature. 
A genuine Christian, however gentle and meek 
and humble, is not at all a milksop, nor a sneak, 
nor a timeserver; never a colorless, inoffensive, 
insignificant, chicken-hearted, poor-spirited stick; 
he does not cringe nor crouch, fawn nor grovel, 
asking people to tread upon him and kick him. 
His head does not hang down like a bulrush. He 
stands up straight and has plenty of pluck; he 
looks at men and things with level glance and 
speaks his mind with positiveness. When occa¬ 
sion demands he will rise in his might and defy 
all the forces of earth and hell to move him from 
his ground. He is not pliable where principle is 
concerned. In defense of the truth or of the 
weak he will give battle, no matter what the odds, 
believing that one with God is a majority. 

There are those who have too few enemies, as 
well as those who have too many, those who yield 
where they should be firm, as well as those who 
are obstinate and contentious, bringing trouble 
needlessly upon themselves. We should be civil 
but not servile, servant of all but servile to none, 
renouncing the spirit of the slave but cherishing 
the spirit of ministry, despising sycophancy but 
delighting in courtesy. ‘The man that makes a 
character makes foes.” But the buffets which 
we get for our many faults are no proof of our 
exceptional heroism. Be it ours to have both 


8o 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


the manliness and the meekness of Christ; to 
study gentleness of voice and manner and move¬ 
ment, yet to have moral courage, a holy boldness, 
that never lowers its flag to fear. This is great 
perfection. We may not wholly reach it; but if 
we die trying for it, our crown is secure. 

If thou canst plan a noble deed 
And never flag till thou succeed, 

Though in the strife thy heart shall bleed, 

Whatever obstacles control, 

Thine hour will come; go on, true soul! 

Thou’lt win the prize; thou’lt reach the goal. 

And some innative weakness there must be 

In him that condescends to victory 

Such as the present gives, and cannot wait— 

Safe in himself as in a fate. 


13 

BROTHERLY KINDNESS 

Love for God and love for man cannot be 
nicely discriminated or held completely apart. 
Inevitably they tend to coalesce. It is not conceiv¬ 
able that one should have an overflowing affection 
for Him above and be indifferent to those around. 
Affection is a unit. If it be genuine and strong, 
it covers the whole man and controls all his re¬ 
lationships. He who is thoroughly unselfish can¬ 
not look with coldness on any human being. This 
was well expressed by James Russell Lowell 
when he said, 

That love for one from which there doth not spring 
Wide love for all is but a worthless thing. 

And another poet has stated the same truth in 
these words: 

If I truly love the One, 

All the loves are mine, 

Alien to my heart is none, 

And life grows divine. 

Among “all the loves” which make life divine, 
love of the brethren deserves special mention and 
close thought because it enters so intimately into 
every day’s doings. We touch others at a thou- 
81 


82 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


sand points and whether or not they get from' 
us some little grace, a bit of courage, a glimpse 
of faith, whether they are helped or hindered by 
the contact, depends very largely on the spirit 
with which we regard them and meet them. Is 
it with sympathy and kindly fellow-feeling? Do 
we try to put ourselves in their place, to judge 
them gently if at all, to be chary of censure, re-* 
membering our own need of their charity and our 
utter lack of sufficient knowledge to qualify us 
for condemning? Do we watch for the good in 
other people, determined to see their best side, 
and so have a pleasant word of praise for all, to 
be uttered whenever a suitable opportunity is 
found ? Do we study to augment our sympathies 
so as to take in more and more of those uncon¬ 
genial to us ? Have we an enthusiasm for merits, 
together with a quickness in perceiving them, 
instead of being on the lookout for defects ? Have 
we learned to be charitable to the uncharitable, 
and to show love even to those who love others 
the least? Do we think of people lovingly, and 
so find it easy to do those little acts of kindness 
which when scattered through the day make it so 
beautiful and bright? 

If we love people they will love us, especially 
if we love them for their own sake, with no 
ulterior selfish thought. More faith in men 
greatly helps more love; so does more knowledge 


BROTHERLY KINDNESS 


83 

of them. To know all is to forgive much. Pity 
also helps. Where complacency is impossible 
benevolence may thrive. 

Loving everybody does not mean that we are 
to love everybody in the same way or to the same 
extent; does not mean that we are to share our 
goods with those who have less, thus dooming 
ourselves to perpetual poverty; does not mean 
under all circumstances peace, for this would 
imply the obliteration of conscience, the abnega¬ 
tion of principle, the renunciation of right. It 
does not mean that we are always to forget self, 
for this would turn love into a mere sentiment, a 
blind enthusiasm. We are to love other people, 
as well as God, with our mind; we are to exer¬ 
cise common sense. To submit our will always 
to that of others in matters indifferent, where no 
principle is involved, is good for us but not good 
for them; and so our love for them will sometimes 
oblige us not to yield. 

If Jesus could refer to certain men as dogs and 
hogs and foxes and wolves, he could not have 
intended to prohibit our forming a cautious and, 
so far as possible, correct estimate of the charac¬ 
ters of the dangerous and wicked men about us. 
“Love thy neighbor, but pull not down thy 
hedge,” is an old saying with wisdom in it. The 
word in Prov. 18. 24, which used to read “A 
man that hath friends must shew himself 


8 4 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


friendly,” now, in the Revised Version, more cor¬ 
rectly is rendered, “He that maketh many friends 
doeth it to his own destruction,” by which we are 
warned that a man who surrounds himself with 
a crowd of boon companions who expect him to 
lay out his substance in ministering to their idle 
pleasures is likely soon to be ruined. Aristotle 
well says, in similar vein, “He that hath many 
friends hath none.” 

Love is not precisely synonymous with softness 
and gentleness, graciousness, meekness, mildness, 
tenderness, and, in general, the essentially fem¬ 
inine qualities, although this is probably the prev¬ 
alent, popular idea. One may love his brother 
and yet be very firm in reproving him for his sin 
and hating the evil that is in him. If one did 
not love the sinner so much, one would not be so 
moved by his faults or so persistent in trying for 
their cure. A devoted parent must frown some¬ 
times as well as smile, chastise as well as caress: 
and he must not expect that his love will always 
be understood or appreciated. To please men is 
not so important as to profit them. It is one thing 
to make people pleased with us; another and a 
better thing to give them true pleasure and last¬ 
ing benefit. Our love should be without laxity, 
should have in it robustness and vigor, should be 
able to correct and admonish and command as 
well as comfort and commend. 


BROTHERLY KINDNESS 85 

If men dislike us, let us make sure that it is 
for our adherence to principle, not for our bad 
tempers, our selfishness, our pride. Clubs and 
stones under a tree may be a proof that it con¬ 
tains chestnuts, or it may be a sign that hornets 
live there. Very much depends on the way things 
are put, on the spirit in which they are done. 
Some people go through life jamming their sharp 
elbows into everybody’s sides, hitting everybody’s 
sores and treading on everybody’s corns: then 
they wonder why they are so unpopular and talk 
about being martyrs to the truth. That we love 
everybody is easily said, but we must take very 
great care to make good that profession in all 
our practical everyday dealings with them or they 
will be likely to scoff. 

Since the measure of our love to others is the 
measure of our power to do them good, or more 
nearly so than anything else, we must cultivate 
and increase this love by all means within our 
reach. Nothing is of such consequence or such 
comprehensiveness as love; nothing is so strong, 
so sweet, so full of power and peace; it magni¬ 
fies the smallest gift and dignifies the most insig¬ 
nificant task; it conquers the most obdurate and 
binds together the most dissimilar. 

It is supremely good for us to love freely and 
have confidence in men. Better occasionally be 
deceived than go through the world without 


86 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


trust. Too much caution cripples the noblest 
qualities, and robs us of the best part of life's 
enjoyment, life’s emolument, life’s enduement. 
Very few people ever have occasion to repent of 
being too merciful and charitable in their judg¬ 
ments, too fraternal and friendly in their conduct. 
The availableness of God and the lovableness of 
men are two things not often appreciated at their 
true worth or given their full dimensions. As we 
prize the loving kindnesses and tender mercies of 
God to ourselves, let us be swift to extend the 
same to others who may be quick to doubt if there 
are such things in God unless they see them re¬ 
peated more frequently in his children. “Unto 
the kindly hearted cometh a blessing down.” 

O for a closer walk with man! 

Sweet fellowship of soul, 

Where each is to the other joined 
Parts of one living whole. 

O brothers! are ye asking how 
The hills of happiness to find? 

Then know they lie beyond the vow, 

“God helping me, I will be kind.” 


14 

DESIRES AND DETERMINATIONS 

Desires and determinations constitute char¬ 
acter. The two are by no means the same, and 
yet they have close connection, for the one usually 
precedes the other. Wishing we were better is 
common, and futile; it should speedily pass on 
into willing to be better, which is a very different 
thing. “Do noble things, not dream them all day 
long,” said the poet; and there is clearly no 
other way to make life “one glad sweet song.” 
Another singer suitably affirms that angels had 
kept many a glorious record of us had we done 
instead of doubted, had we warred instead of 
wept. It is true. Without inflexibility of resolu¬ 
tion, tenacity of purpose, very little indeed can 
be accomplished in this weary, warring world. 
The bulldog is not in all respects a model for 
imitation, but Oliver Wendell Holmes does well 
to enforce his assertion, “Be firm,” by the ringing 
lines: 

Stick to your aim; the mongrel’s hold will slip, 

But only crowbars loose the bulldog’s grip; 

Small as he looks, the jaw that never yields 

Drags down the bellowing monarch of the fields. 

87 


88 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


But while desires are not the supreme thing, 
and, taken alone, are ineffective, they lie very 
close to the foundations of life. Unless they are 
worthy the life must fail. Unless they are rightly 
regulated, all will be chaos. Inordinate and self- 
centered desires furnish the groundwork for all 
our temptations and are accountable for most of 
our trials. George MacDonald puts it well when 
he says, “The soil for the harvest of pain is 
brought down from the peaks of pride by the 
torrents of desire.” It might be added that the 
high hills of our being will not be denuded of 
their fruitful soil by the rushing, roaring, raging 
torrents and turned into barren “peaks of pride” 
if the humble grasses of helpfulness, the shrubs 
of lowly service, and the forests of faithful, 
useful, honest, earnest labor are kept intact. 
Then there will be no floods or freshets but 
a gentle, tranquil flow, kept well within bounds 
and wholly beneficial. The bounds of our wishes 
and wills must be the will of God. So compassed 
they cannot be too strong. Outside this limit they 
are a constant source of danger. 

Here comes in the important doctrine of indif¬ 
ference. Indifference is either contemptible or 
sublime according to the motives from which it 
proceeds and the objects it covers. It has the 
former character when it arises from indolence of 
mind or body. Also when it refers to things of 


DESIRES AND DETERMINATIONS 89 

highest consequence. Apathy in reference to the 
eternal issues which attach to moral choices is 
criminal, but common. Rare and radiant is that 
indifference which springs from spiritual-minded- 
ness and is exercised concerning matters which, 
though great in the world’s estimation, are really 
of no true value. To have no wish, no care, with 
reference to anything outside the will divine is 
proof of very high perfection. This is what is 
meant by the mystical writers when they speak of 
the death of desire, and call it the doorway to 
perfect peace. Such death is the defeat of fear 
and of all other things that are false and bad. 
Such death is the destruction of disappointment, 
disquiet, disturbance. Such death of wrong 
desire brings the fulfillment of right desire. It is 
thus that through crucifixion comes purification 
and gratification. Here comes in also the preg¬ 
nant saying, “The death of that part of us capable 
of disappointment is better than the fulfillment of 
desire, since riches is having what we want, but 
power is being able to do without.” There can 
be no disappointment if our desires are restricted 
to that blessed will of God which can never fail 
to be accomplished. If we are not only able to 
do without everything else but to be happy in 
so doing, we have a power and a bliss that wealth 
cannot bestow. He who wishes for nothing fears 
nothing. He who is satisfied with God and his 


9o 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


management of the universe cannot, it is evident, 
wish that things were other than they are; such 
a wish he must count to be treason. 

One considerable question, however, arises and 
pleads for settlement before the relation of desires 
and determinations is fully adjusted. In prac¬ 
tical life how far will it do to cultivate indiffer¬ 
ence ? Should we not have definite plans and push 
them with all our might ? Is there any other way 
to success ? Plans, it must be admitted, are good 
to a certain degree; are, indeed, indispensable; 
yet they are a source of great danger to him who 
desires to serve God blamelessly, and they must 
be closely watched. The danger is that we shall 
become too much attached to them and resent 
their frustration. We must see to it that we do 
not push too hard at the closed doors. Here 
alone is safety. But how hard shall we push? 
When God shuts the door of opportunity or 
action in our faces it may be because he sees 
that we should get harm by going through 
it; it may be simply for the development of our 
strength in opening it. If we could only infallibly 
tell which! When the latter case is on there is a 
call for the most strenuous endeavor, but in the 
former case our acquiescence cannot be too im¬ 
mediate. To apply just the right amount of 
pressure against the doors of hindering circum¬ 
stance that are shut by the good Father along our 


DESIRES AND DETERMINATIONS 91' 

pathway is one of the chief secrets of a prosper¬ 
ous Christian life. There is no absolute rule that 
can be unerringly applied. A sanctified judgment 
must decide in each case. We must be sure that 
our aims are unselfish, and we must scrupulously 
avoid tampering in the slightest degree with fun¬ 
damental moral distinctions; we must attempt 
nothing that contravenes plain morality, noth¬ 
ing that will injure our neighbor. Within 
these limitations and to these ends our plans are 
likely to be commendable. But they should be 
always provisional and tentative, held loosely, 
subject to swift change without friction if the 
plain indications of Providence are that way. We 
live safely when we live by the moment, counting 
nothing finally fixed until decisively approved 
from on high. Our desires for any temporal good 
whatever must be always subject to revision and 
reversion, always moderate and restrained, lest 
they imperil our peace. Our desires after God 
must be so intense, so all-absorbing and engross¬ 
ing as to be but faintly symbolized by the keenest 
appetites of the body. When we are truly hungry 
for God his coming to us is precious by whatever 
avenue or in whatever guise he approaches. 

Only to sit and think of God, 

O what a joy it is! 

To think the thought, to breathe the name, 

Earth has no higher bliss! 


15 

MINOR MORALS 


There are small sins as well as great ones; all 
are not alike heinous and outrageous. We do 
not deal in this volume with the greater ones, 
because those committing them will not be likely 
to look into our pages. We are writing for those 
who have an unappeasable thirst for the improve¬ 
ment of personal character, who are enthusiastic 
in the pursuit of highest holiness, who are making 
a specialty of spirituality, who have a passion for 
goodness, who feel that they cannot afford to 
overlook anything which promises even the small¬ 
est amount of help in 'their great undertaking. 
What others call unprofitable niceties and punc¬ 
tilious scrupulosities will take on, to them, an 
entirely different color, for they realize that per¬ 
fection is made up of trifles, and they have found 
that the Spirit of holiness is exceedingly sensitive. 
With ninety-nine people out of a hundred there is 
far more danger of being too careless than of 
being overparticular or morbidly conscientious. 
So we deem it well to give a brief chapter to a 
few items of what may be termed the minor 
moralities. 


92 


MINOR MORALS 


93 


i. Punctuality . This has such close relations 
with the very highest qualities that it can hardly 
be called a minor matter. The unpunctual man 
lacks truthfulness, honesty, justice, faithfulness, 
humility, self-denial, generosity, kindness, love, 
forethought, thrift, system, energy, and firmness 
of will. It would be easy to make out a strong 
indictment against him under each of these heads. 
He fails to appreciate the value of time, either his 
own or other people’s. To enjoy oneself and take 
it easy, without strain or bother, rather than to 
accomplish the utmost possible for God and hu¬ 
manity, is his ideal of life. To rob people of time, 
the most valuable of all their possessions, that 
which once gone is gone forever, is no slight 
crime. To show so little respect for them, to be 
so careless of giving them trouble and adding to 
their burdens, to put on such airs of fancied great¬ 
ness, aping royalty, as to make all others wait on 
one’s convenience, one’s assumed larger impor¬ 
tance, to disturb a whole audience needlessly, dis¬ 
regarding or denying their equal rights, to pay 
no heed to one’s promises or the keeping of one’s 
engagements—what sort of a moral or intellec¬ 
tual character does this imply? The question 
answers itself. When so many of the most 
serious defects of character are included in the 
want of punctuality, is not the fact that, as a rule, 
a good deal less than half our congregations are 


94 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


at church on time sufficient to indicate the flabby 
sort of Christianity which prevails among us ? 

2. Back-seat religion . This is closely related 
to the evil just mentioned. A part of the reason 
why the back seats in prayer meeting and church 
are so popular is that they afford a refuge for 
those who come late and are not without some 
feeble compunctions therefor. But this does not 
wholly explain it. There are, no doubt, a number 
of reasons or excuses urged to account for this 
most miserable and lamentable habit. That it is 
a bad habit ought not to require argument. There 
are few things that the average prayer meeting 
and church congregation more need than the 
demolition of the sitting-back custom. It chills 
the speaker’s enthusiasm, it dissipates his magnet¬ 
ism, it spoils the singing, it throws a coldness over 
all the proceedings. No preacher can pour his 
personality out with any sort of satisfaction or 
success on a large array of empty seats directly 
in front of him. And after he has labored so 
hard to prepare himself it seems a downright 
shame that those who profess to wish to aid him, 
and have come avowedly to hear him, should per¬ 
sistently and obstinately put such an obstacle in 
his way. It speaks loudly of the prevalence of 
the spirit of selfishness, of shrinking from respon¬ 
sibility, of unwillingness to give up personal pref¬ 
erences for the greater glory of God. When 


MINOR MORALS 


95 


Christians really want to get near their divine 
Master they will be glad to come near his earthly 
representative and do all they can to second his 
efforts. 

3. Taking offense . The readiness with which 
most people take offense gives evidence of deep- 
seated selfishness, and betokens a most unhealthy 
tone of mind. It shows a sinful and unchristlike 
spirit. There are those who are continually in 
hot water, nursing their fancied injuries, caring 
sedulously for their wounded dignity, hard to con¬ 
vince that something has not been done to them 
which they are called upon to resent. There is 
no getting on with them. They have not been 
properly treated, they think, and no explanation 
suffices to smooth them down. Surely, there is 
a better way—the way of love unfeigned. Wise 
is he, and truly blest, who refuses to receive 
affronts, even such as may be quite plainly prof¬ 
fered, and declines to feel aggrieved, no matter 
who attempts to put grief upon him. We are our 
own masters in this matter. Our actions flow 
from our feelings, our feelings from our opinions, 
and our opinions are our own. No one is obliged 
to take offense; no one has any business to do so. 
Beware of over sensitiveness. ‘‘Love believeth 
all things, beareth all things, endureth all things.” 

4. Giving offense. “Lest we cause them to 
stumble,” said Jesus, giving that as a reason to 


9 6 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


Peter for paying the temple tax, although it was 
not properly obligatory upon him. And Paul 
habitually mentions this motive as influencing 
him in courses of conduct that affected the weaker 
brethren. Do we, any of us, regard it enough? 
Does the spirit of self-sacrifice and of brotherly 
love sufficiently prevail with us? Granted that 
there is such a thing as Christian liberty, for which 
under certain circumstances we are warranted in 
standing, and granted that no absolutely universal 
rule can be laid down, that individual judgment 
must determine in each case what is best, still 
it remains true that usually we err from not being 
sufficiently willing to put aside our own taste or 
pleasure for the good of others. Who can doubt 
but that it will be a happy reflection by and by 
that we made ourselves too much the servants 
of others rather than too little? It will be a 
closer resemblance to the Master if we humble 
ourselves, and even let others tread upon us, if 
so be we become the way by which they enter 
into life. 

Many other things of this same sort might be 
mentioned, such as economy of expenditure. Can 
a child of God ever forget how much need there 
is of money for every good cause, and can he 
waste anything that might be used for making 
the world better? And the same line of thought 
will apply to his use of time. He will also feel 


MINOR MORALS 


97 


that he is not at liberty to scatter words of praise 
recklessly about, at the dictate of mere good 
nature and because people expect it. He has a 
responsibility for exact truthfulness, and likewise 
for maintaining a high standard of excellence 
which prevents him from eulogizing what is poor. 
In short, at every point, and on every side, in 
reference to the small things as well as the large, 
the conscientious Christian asks, what is right, 
not what is popular or customary or easy. He 
challenges the usages of this world, and aims with 
a single eye to conform his conduct to the habits 
of the heavenly country. 

All habits gather by unseen degrees; 

As brooks make rivers, rivers run to seas. 

Habits are soon assumed, but when we strive 

To strip them off, ’tis being flayed alive. 




























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PART III 

SPECIAL BEAUTIES 





































































































































16 


“CHEERFUL GODLINESS” 

Be cheery. Why should a person make himself 
a nuisance ? What gain is there in grimness and 
sourness and unsociability? Few people care to 
listen to whining and complaint. Nobody wants 
a death’s head at his table. Nobody considers 
himself regaled when forced to listen to other 
people’s wrongs and slights, most of them either 
imaginary or exaggerated by their oversensitive 
conceit. To be courted one must be jolly, or, at 
least, in good humor. Since we know that we 
are not particularly interested in others’ griev¬ 
ances, why should we not remember that in like 
manner ours are matters of comparative indiffer¬ 
ence to them? So it is better not to air them. 
Bury your sorrows, pocket your affronts, be 
pleasant, and make yourself agreeable. Take 
your religion with relish, not as though it were 
an exceeding bitter pill which you would not 
touch if you could possibly help it. Get out 
of the narrow lane of “must” into the big broad 
street of “may”; it is better to love, be happy, 
trust, than simply to obey under the constraint of 
irksome duty. Do not give to God grudgingly 

IOI 


102 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


or of necessity, for a cheerful giver is the only 
kind he likes. Let your face light up as you think 
of Jesus and reflect that no one can take him from 
you. Is not this enough to bring a smile ? 

It is a good rule never to let the mind dwell on 
things unpleasant unless there is a prospect of 
thus making them better. It is well to imitate the 
bee rather than the beetle; for the former lights 
upon the flowers and the latter upon the dirt. A 
cold Christianity is a contradiction. Dark devo¬ 
tion condemns itself. Our habitual demeanor 
should be such as to make it manifest to all be¬ 
holders that to us Christ’s yoke is easy and his bur¬ 
den light. We belong to Jesus and he belongs to 
us; that is surely enough ground for perpetual 
hallelujahs. Brighten up. Try the sunshine cure. 
Sobriety in the Bible sense does not mean stupidity 
or sadness or dullness. It is opposed to levity 
rather than to vivacity or hilarity. There is noth¬ 
ing incompatible between sober-mindedness and 
rejoicing evermore. There is no law against be¬ 
ing blithe and buoyant and debonair. Such an 
aspect will help others and honor our profession. 
Our life should be set to music, music of a some¬ 
what lively and exhilarating character. We 
should be in tune with the harmonies of the uni¬ 
verse. Let there be inward melodies and joy- 
bells ringing there, whatever may be the outward 
aspect of things. The bird in the heart may sing 


'CHEERFUL GODLINESS’ 


103 


sweetly, and there may be laughter of the soul, 
although external skies are not sunny. 

All this is by no means a matter of tempera¬ 
ment, wholly or mainly, as some are always ready 
to declare. It is also a matter of principle. Our 
wills have something to do with it. We may put 
on the garment of praise if we so choose. It is 
a most comely and comfortable dress, warm and 
winsome, serviceable, seasonable, resplendent. It 
is extremely becoming to all. Its absence is not 
only unnecessary but unseemly. Keep right on 
smiling whatever comes. To unite heartily with 
what happens is the key to happiness. What the 
world calls trouble the Christian calls a help to 
grow in grace. What the world mourns over as 
evil the Christian rejoices over as a special token 
of his Father’s love. Everything depends upon 
the point of view. If God is both above and 
within, ruling in both the large world and our 
little world, all must be well. 

“A merry heart is a good medicine,” the Bible 
says, and in so saying only reenforces many of the 
maxims of the wise which bid us look on the 
bright side and take hold of things by the smooth 
handle. “The Lord God is a sun,” and they who 
live perpetually in his presence, favored with his 
smile, will be cheerful and sprightly. There is 
such a thing as cloudless communion with God, 
close companionship with Jesus, which “makes 


104 THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 

life with bliss replete.” We may enjoy a fellow¬ 
ship with him so dear that no foes or woes can 
make us afraid or disturb the serenity of our rest. 
If we “bless the Lord at all times,” so that his 
praise is continually in our mouth, if we “rejoice 
evermore and in everything give thanks,” we are 
but measuring up to our privileges in Jesus, and 
doing what many of God’s children have found 
feasible. We may belong to the conquering 
legion and to the dwellers in the land of Beulah, 
where the sun no more goes down because the 
Lord is the everlasting light and the days of 
mourning are forever ended, where the summer 
lasts all the year because he whose presence dis¬ 
perses all gloom and whose voice is sweeter than 
any music is always nigh to banish the night. 

The inner side of every cloud 
Is bright and shining; 

Therefore I turn my clouds about, 

And always wear them inside out, 

To show the lining. 


17 

SOME HAPPINESS SECRETS 

Happiness, goodness, and greatness have very 
close connections. Each may be tested by the 
other. No one who is not habitually happy has 
any right to be called either good or great. If 
we are not happy, it is a just reproach upon us; 
it is a proof that we are failing in either faith or 
love, probably in both. He who heartily accepts 
that blessed will of the heavenly Father which 
comes to us each moment through events has 
mastered the secret of a perfectly happy life. 
There is no joy anywhere like that which springs 
from doing the divine pleasure. This was the joy 
of Jesus, and he stands ready to share it with all 
who will follow him fully. 

Happiness depends very much on opinion. It is 
not the things themselves that trouble us half so 
much as it is our thought about the things. By 
watching the latter, which is in our own power, 
we render ourselves independent of the former. 
He who thinks himself the happiest is so. 

Happiness is secured by diminishing one’s de¬ 
sires and demands. This is far more important 
than adding to our possessions, and more within 


106 THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 

our power. In other words, expressing it mathe¬ 
matically, it is as easy to increase the value of 
the fraction of life by lessening the denominator 
as by augmenting the numerator. Instead of 
adding to the number of parts grasped at, repre¬ 
sented by the numerator, lessen the number of 
parts which seem to us essential to constitute a 
proper whole, and the result is reached. 

Happiness does not come from having our own 
way, any more than it does from having much 
goods. It is a very common delusion to suppose 
that if every wish could be gratified we should be 
perfectly happy. As if we could tell what was 
really best for us. God could not take a surer 
way of compassing our ruin than by gratifying 
all our passing fancies and putting the reins of 
government into our foolish hands. We are by 
no means fit to take charge of our destinies. If 
we are wise, we shall discern our lack of wisdom 
and commit our guidances to God. Not from 
the fulfillment of our natural wishes comes happi¬ 
ness, but from their abandonment and the putting 
in their stead an all-absorbing desire for the 
carrying out of the splendid, perfect will of God 
which the universe is busy in accomplishing. 

Happiness is a mosaic made up of many little 
gems. He who fills his life, however humble it 
be, with little words for Jesus, little acts of kind¬ 
ness, little deeds that please, he who seizes 


SOME HAPPINESS SECRETS 


io 7 


promptly the small opportunities for usefulness 
that are constantly occurring, is a perpetual 
deviser of sunshine and stores up great treasure 
in heaven. 

Happiness is intimately linked with industry 
and sincerity. Great effort from great motives 
may be put forth, even in lowliest stations, that 
will bring joy, whether outward success rewards 
our endeavor or not. If our aim is high and our 
intention pure, nothing can deprive us of a good 
measure of happiness. 

Happy are they that give themselves away, 
for they shall be accounted beyond price. He 
who sells himself for so much, who works for 
wages, who makes bargains even in what he 
calls his benevolence, is sure to be dissatisfied; 
he will feel that he has been fooled, that the 
price for which he has sold himself and his 
benefaction is not adequate. True blessedness, 
lasting satisfaction, comes only to those who 
put off from them all self-seeking and self-interest, 
and join with the genuine heroes, the real mon- 
archs of life, who scorn the methods of barter and 
give themselves with royal munificence to every 
worthy object. 

Happy are they who are content with a little, 
for they shall have great wealth. Contentment, 
with godliness—and no other kind is real— 
furnishes wonderful gain. He whose desires 


io8 THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 

overpass his acquirements, or whose expenditures 
exceed his receipts, is poor, no matter how large 
those expenditures or acquirements may be. He 
is rich who has as much as he wants, even if 
that is very little. The meek and humble “inherit 
the earth,” which cannot be said of any monarch 
or millionaire. 

Happy are they who make soft replies, for they 
shall break the hearts of their enemies. He who 
kicks against nothing hurts himself. When a 
man finds that the one he has been abusing is not 
only not perturbed but is even moved to benefi¬ 
cence and compassion, he feels very small indeed. 
The contrast is humiliating, and is likely to crush. 
“To take no notice of an injury is to be even with 
our enemy; to forgive it is to be above him.” 
Such a one scores three victories at once—he con¬ 
quers himself, his foe, and the devil. And if the 
foe is not turned straightway into a friend, he 
will at least be so ashamed as not to invite a 
repetition of the treatment. 

Happy are they who always speak the truth, for 
they shall be called the bravest of the brave. A 
liar is in every case a coward. To say that “all 
men are liars” was, no doubt, somewhat hasty 
in David; but he was not far out of the way if 
those be counted liars who at some time or other, 
in some small particulars, deviate knowingly from 
the exact statement of fact. Lying means dis- 


SOME HAPPINESS SECRETS 


109 


trust of God, as well as fear of man. He who 
is full of courage and full of faith will have 
nothing to do with a lie, or with whatever looks 
like one. He despises it and hates it. 

Happy are they who hate iniquity; for they 
have broken the power of temptation. He who 
deliberates is lost. To parley with the foe is the 
next step to surrendering. Only they that are 
aggressive in antagonism to evil are safe. To 
carry the war into the enemy’s country is the best 
way to protect our own borders. The gospel of 
hate is a counterpart to the gospel of love, and 
the one is imperfect without the other. Intensity 
is essential to a successful Christian life. The 
true Christian has a burning heart. 

Happy are they who love the unlovely, for they 
shall find nothing too hard to do. Where the love 
of complacency is out of the question the love of 
benevolence and compassion comes in. The dis¬ 
ciple is not required to be above his Lord. Jesus 
did not approve of the Pharisees; he even “looked 
round about upon them with anger.” But he 
pitied them, and died for them; and “greater love 
hath no man than this,” nor need he have. 

Happy are they who become nothing, for to 
them shall be given all. It is absolutely the only 
way to get all. The number of those in any com¬ 
munity who discover this secret, and perfectly 
attain the state, could probably be counted on the 


no 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


fingers. It is certainly very, very small. Nothing 
means much; it includes everything. 

Since devotion to God and one’s fellows se¬ 
cures bliss, it is right to say, “I will strive to have 
the very happiest life that any man ever lived.” 
Since the will has a great deal to do, indirectly, 
with controlling our feelings, by commanding 
our thoughts, it is right and wise to say, “I will 
not be unhappy.” If we are not perfectly happy, 
we ought to ask ourselves why. If all is right 
with God, if he reigns and we are satisfied with 
his government, why should there not be fun and 
feasting every day? Happy people are very 
much in demand. The supply is always too small. 
Why should we not determine to add one more 
to the number? It surely is not wicked to be 
glad. There is no Bible precept which says 
“Groan in the Lord always.” To be glum and 
gloomy is not a sacred duty. In other days saints 
were sad with purpose and from principle. But 
this is now very generally seen to be a mistake. 
Let us have more hallelujahs. 

A happy life must sure be his— 

The lord, not slave of things— 

Who values life by what it is, 

And not by what it brings. 


18 


ACQUIRING CONTENTMENT 

Contentment is that disposition of mind in 
which we desire only what we now have or what 
we have reason to believe God designs to give us 
when we use the means appointed. It is necessary 
thus carefully to define it in order that it shall not 
be confounded with indolence, apathy, or fatalism. 
Properly understood, it contains nothing in any 
degree incompatible with rightful ambition or 
the highest aspirations for improvement. This 
point needs guarding because many have been 
prejudiced against this beautiful virtue through 
misconception. It is clearly a matter of the de¬ 
sires, and it does not consist in their absence or 
prohibition but in their regulation and control. 
He is truly contented who desires to have only 
what God desires for him. What that may be can 
be known only when one has put forth strenuous 
effort in the directions that most appeal to him. 

The contented man has the calm and pleasant 
feeling that nothing can happen to him which is 
not in harmony with the will divine. He lets 
God choose for him; and he firmly believes that 
only God’s choices are coming to pass in the things 


hi 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


112 

that meet him. This is the crucial point. He can¬ 
not have perfect contentment under all circum¬ 
stances and conditions who has not fully made 
up his mind that those circumstances and condi¬ 
tions are brought to him by his heavenly Father. 
If he knows and feels this, as he may, nothing can 
disturb his peace. He will be sure that good, and 
good alone, is coming to him, or has come; 
and no one in his right mind can really wish for 
anything but what is good. He who finds his 
pleasure in the will of God, and finds the will of 
God in all events, has settled the problem, has 
acquired the virtue—he, and only he. 

The contented man says from the heart, fully 
meaning it, “Provided always I execute what is 
well pleasing in thy divine sight, wherever I am, 
whatever I do, I am quite great enough, quite rich 
enough, quite wise enough, quite happy enough, 
quite useful enough.” He puts the whole empha¬ 
sis on being and doing right, fully assured that all 
else will be taken care of by his omnipotent pro¬ 
tector and provider. What else but satisfaction 
can result from such a proceeding? He has 
enough, he is fully supplied, his wishes are met, for 
he restrains those wishes within the bounds of rea¬ 
son, and his highest reason is convinced that the 
Ruler of the universe is promoting his best inter¬ 
ests. Thus he sings and is content, sure that all in 
love is meant. 


ACQUIRING CONTENTMENT 113 

The contented man, or he who is learning this 
great art—for it does not come all at once to any 
—deems it wise to fix his mind on the pleasant 
aspects of affairs, on the things about him that 
are agreeable, turning his thought away from 
such (so-called) evils as cannot be helped. There 
are joys and blessings, gains and triumphs, in 
every lot; there are mercies that can be reckoned 
up (or that are beyond reckoning in full); there 
is a bright side on which the gaze can be fastened. 
This habit greatly aids. One should certainly 
compare his condition—if he indulges in com¬ 
parison at all—with the multitudes that are much 
worse off than he rather than with the few who 
seem to be better off; seem, for he cannot be sure 
but behind their appearance of prosperity are evils 
that he would esteem much harder to bear than 
anything which has been thus far laid upon him. 
There are not many with whom we would wish 
to change places entirely were everything known. 

It is a great help to contentment if we take 
humble views of ourselves, if we rate our claims 
and our merits at a low figure, which is pretty sure 
to be the right figure. Our expectations will much 
more likely be gratified if they are not pitched 
unreasonably high. The proud man cannot be 
contented; he is never treated either by God or 
man as well as he thinks he ought to be. How 
many of the excellent of the earth, confessedly, 


114 THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


notedly so, have been much worse dealt with than 
we. Shall we demand smoother sailing, sunnier 
skies, than were granted to the noblest and the 
best, the apostles and the saints, nay, to the Son 
of God himself ? This were singular presumption. 

How often afflictions are occasions of greatest 
advantage, and lead to the largest perfection! 
How poorly off we would be if we were permitted 
to take the management of our affairs into our 
own hands and rule them after our short-sighted 
folly! How well to confine our attention to the 
present, so far as borrowing trouble is concerned, 
and yet to give much thought to the blessed future 
where full compensation will be found for all that 
now we miss. Is there any situation in which we 
yet have found ourselves where we could not 
say, “It might easily and deservedly be worse 
with me than it is” ? It would not be well for us 
to have all conceivable excellencies and felicities 
of condition. If we were always free from trials, 
we scarcely could be tender. 

If sorrow never claimed our heart, 

And every wish were granted, 

Patience would die and hope depart— 

Life would be disenchanted. 

Contentment is better than riches; nay, it is 
riches, for no man is poor that does not think 
himself so. Instead of striving, then, so hard to 
be rich, learn to be contented; learn, that is, to 


ACQUIRING CONTENTMENT 


”5 

know God, and accept joyfully, loyally all his. 
arrangements. Only the contented man is really 
great, strong, wise, free, independent, holy, happy, 
and successful. He is all this, he, and only he. 
He relies on God and on him alone. He never 
whines nor frets. He is never frustrated nor dis¬ 
appointed. He is free from covetousness, envy, 
jealousy, strife, anxiety. It is a grand way to live. 
Yet it is open to all. Why should there be so few 
to gain a place among this elect company, so few 
to learn, with Paul, to be content in every state, 
and reap rapture from the most unpromising 
fields ? 

The happiest heart that ever beat 
Was in some quiet breast 

That found the common daylight sweet 
And left to heaven the rest. 

Don’t think your lot the worst because 
Some griefs your joy assail; 

There aren’t so very many saws 
That never strike a nail. 

Then, whatsoever wind doth blow, 

My heart is glad to have it so; 

And, blow it east or blow it west, 

The wind that blows, that wind is best. 


19 


“MURMURINGS AND DISPUTINGS ,, 

Saint Paul, in writing to his beloved Philip¬ 
pian converts, urges them to work out, or carry 
through, energetically, by all needful effort, their 
own salvation, and show a blameless front to the 
captious, crusty, cross-grained folks among whom 
they were called to live. He adds that, to this 
end, they themselves must “do all things with¬ 
out murmurings and disputings”; they must avoid 
complaints and contradictions as unworthy of the 
children of God, who are to be luminaries, bearers 
of sunshine, of cheerfulness and blessing. This 
is good advice still. 

There is something wrong with the man who 
has an unappeasable itch for controversy and con¬ 
tention. Both his mind and heart are awry. His 
views are so very narrow that he imagines he, and 
he alone (including those who agree with him), 
is right, and all others are so absurdly wrong that 
a brief argument will put them to shame. And 
his spirit is so cantankerous that he prefers to be 
at loggerheads with people rather than at peace 
with them. Intense self-conceit and ingrained 
quarrelsomeness are stamped upon him who al- 

116 


“MURMURINGS AND DISPUTINGS” n7 

ways wants to set everybody right. People as 
they grow wiser and mellower lose taste for con¬ 
troversy. They have proved its uselessness. It 
has been well said, “He who loves to dispute does 
not love God.” But a calm comparison of opin¬ 
ions for mutual edification is always in order. 

It is one thing to let what light of truth there 
may be in us shine forth clearly and calmly—in 
other words, to state in simplest language our 
opinion—and quite another to enter on a more 
or less heated disputation in the vain attempt to 
teach somebody who has no desire to learn. Con¬ 
troversy is smoke, and serves to obscure the light. 
The winds of opposition have a tendency in most 
cases to root people the more firmly in their own 
ideas. When others are deaf it is just as well 
for us to be dumb; and nothing deafens more 
easily than arguing with a quick-tempered, igno¬ 
rant, obstinate man or woman. He who is be¬ 
guiled into it wastes his time, imperils his patience, 
and casts his pearls, if he has any, before an animal 
very poorly fitted to appreciate them. It is only 
a few who are qualified for profitable debate. 
Hence in nine cases out of ten it is wise to decline 
the challenge and resist the temptation. 

Wrangling does not mark either a great mind 
or a calm, sweet spirit. It is very rarely of the 
Lord; it is commonly a dangerous disturber of 
the peace. A thinker quietly does his best to make 


Ii8 THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 

his meaning clear, and if there is still lack of per¬ 
ception on the part of his hearers, he simply waits 
for that justification which time is sure to bring. 
A quiet statement of the truth as we see it, or 
a humble inquiry after light as some one else sees 
it, is always good; more than this cometh of evil. 
It is well to express one’s opinion with candor 
and even positiveness; but we need not mind or 
be disturbed if others do not agree. 

The spirit which is quick to contradict, quarrel¬ 
some, touchy, is also given to complaint and lam¬ 
entation. Such are seldom satisfied with their 
situation. There is generally something about it 
which does not suit them, and they are not back¬ 
ward in mentioning it. They fill the air with 
their objections and dejections and objurgations. 
But what is the use? Nobody thanks you for 
burdening them with your load of troubles, large 
or small. And they are pretty sure to seem small 
in other people’s eyes, however large they may be 
in your own. “Go bury your sorrow, the world 
has its share,” and does not care to take on any 
more. Besides, the trouble gets larger the more 
you talk about it or even think of it in a complain¬ 
ing spirit. It is amazing how a grievance grows 
if only it be dwelt on with sufficient persistence. 
He who looks at it long enough will see in it 
plenty of things that are not there at all. It is 
easy to fall into the habit of petty fault-finding and 


“MURMURINGS AND DISPUTINGS” 119 

sullen grumbling about every little thing that does 
not just suit; but who, on calm reflection, thinks 
it really pays? We doubt if anybody ever did. 
It has an ill effect on one's own spirits, sending 
them down below zero on the smallest provoca¬ 
tion. It makes those around us constantly uncom¬ 
fortable. And, most of all, it is a sin against God, 
a most ungrateful return for his abundant mercies. 

How much better to keep in the sunshine and 
to take hold of things by the smooth handle! 
One can always find the bright side if he looks 
for it. Things are never as bad as they might be. 
Whatever God sends is meant for our good, and 
has something about it that should call forth 
praise. So we may say that complaint is always 
out of order, always evil, foolish, feeble, futile. 
Life is wasted if spent in nursing our grievances. 
It is better to stop repining and go to work. 
Christians should never cease to keep good- 
natured. If anything troubles you, if you are 
annoyed at others' deficiencies or at your own, 
talk it over quietly with the Lord, first of all; after 
that, if further counsel is required, an intimate 
friend may be called in. In cases that admit of 
remedy take hold of them in resolute earnest with 
a cheerful purpose to set things right. In all 
other cases patiently endure as seeing him who is 
invisible, looking for the eternal weight of glory. 
In any case, don’t complain, don’t fret, don't 


120 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


make yourself a nuisance. “Look up and not 
down, forward and not back, out and not in, and 
lend a hand” of help to everyone in need. 

Life is too short to waste 
In critic peep or cynic bark. 

Quarrel or reprimand. 

’Twill soon be dark, 

Up! mind thine own aim, and 
God speed the mark! 

For all the evils under the sun 
There is some remedy or none; 

If there is one be sure to find it; 

If there is none, why, never mind it. 

O calm, majestic mountains! O everlasting hills! 

Beside your patient watch how small seem all life’s joys 
and ills! 


20 

“SONGS IN THE NIGHT” 

The night of grief and pain comes to all. Soon 
or late, more or less we suffer. How shall we look 
at it ? What shall we do with it ? As to trouble, 
men are four. Number one is overwhelmed, goes 
down beneath the waves, and rises not again. 
Number two just manages to keep his head above 
water; but what a time he has of it! How loud 
and strong his lamentations and objurgations! 
What a pitiful object. Number three swims easily 
out and does not mind it much; he gets wet, but 
he is a philosopher and soon dries himself, making 
no fuss about it nor coming to any harm. Number 
four feels the force of the flood as much as the 
other three, but he is so encased in rubber that 
the stream only tosses him forward on his way 
and he exults at the strange means God has taken 
to promote his progress. Defeat, devastation, 
peace, triumph—which will we have? The Al¬ 
mighty is fully able to make his children victori¬ 
ous over all their trials, turning them into means 
of grace for which hearty thanks can most fitly 
be given. It is possible not merely to bear 
them with patience and resignation, but to re- 

121 


122 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


joice greatly at the glorious results therein 
wrought through Heaven’s alchemy. 

Suffering is remedial when rightly received. 
Troubles are the tools by which God shapes us into 
beauty and usefulness. Sorrow is Mount Sinai 
where one may talk with God face to face if he 
will not be afraid of the thunder and lightning. 
The black threads in the loom are as essential to 
the perfection of the pattern as are the white. 
Trials are the rough file to rub the rust off our 
virtues; they are the sharp, whirring wheels that 
cut and polish the jewels of character; they are 
the fiery furnace purging away the dross that the 
gold may appear; they are the medicines, bitter 
but healing, that cure us of our moral maladies. 
Sanctified afflictions are spiritual promotions, are 
the shadows of God’s wings. They show us our 
weakness and drive us to Christ. They wean us 
from the world and draw us toward heaven. 
Hallelujah for the cross! The truest philosophy 
and the purest Christianity are one. 

God’s blows are blessings; all his chastenings 
caressings, all his privations and prohibitions 
providences, all our grievances God-sends. ‘‘He 
loves his people when he strikes them as well as 
when he strokes them.” We may be absolutely 
sure of this from many a plain passage of Scrip¬ 
ture, as well as from multitudinous pages of per¬ 
sonal experience. And the being sure that love 


'SONGS IN THE NIGHT’ 


123 


divine is back of the blow is what robs it of all 
sting. The nearer we draw to him who handles 
the rod the lighter falls the lash. “They who 
look upon God’s face do not feel his hand,” “do 
not in their prayer recall that they are chastised 
at all.” This, truly, is a lofty saying, and 
marks a very high state of grace. “He that is 
able to receive it let him receive it,” as the 
Saviour said of another altitudinous precept. 
It is certain that there may be such an absorp¬ 
tion of the soul in the love and will of God 
as to make one sublimely indifferent to tem¬ 
poral things, to mundane comforts and earthly 
joys—a victory rarely gained, but well worth 
while. A dear friend of mine, a devoted mother, 
after the loss of a darling child, wrote me these 
words: “Not a desire to keep for ourselves our 
firstborn and only one arose in our hearts, not a 
doubt as to His way being best, not a murmur 
when through a short, bitter agony of suffocation 
she found the door to endless delights. We sang 
the doxology and gave thanks when her breath 
was gone. I seem to live in heaven, there is such 
a quiet in my heart. He has so upheld us and 
caused us to triumph in this that my confidence in 
Him is increased a thousandfold.” This, surely, 
was a song in the night. And there have been 
many such. 

We may raise to God in the night of affliction 


124 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


a song of trust. We may say, “Though he slay 
me, yet will I trust in him”; “Although the fig 
tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in 
the vines; yet will I rejoice in the Lord, 

I will joy in the God of my salvation.” The 
song of trust necessarily becomes also a song of 
joy and hope, of peace and contentment. We find 
that our burden is our boon, that what breaks 
our trust in the creature enables us to lay hold on 
the Creator, and that this is a most blessed ex¬ 
change. It is only in the dark valley that we 
thoroughly learn to sing with the psalmist, “I 
will fear no evil, for thou art with me.” It is only 
when it is dark around us that the eternal stars 
shine out. “Darkness shows us worlds of light 
we never saw by day,” and never could see. 

We may raise a song of love and loyalty, 
“Sweet affliction that brings Jesus to my soul.” 
The sorrow which we recognize as springing 
from the love God has for us leads us to have 
greater love for him. We feel ashamed not to 
take the cross gladly and follow Christ closely; 
we feel stimulated so to do when we think of his 
suffering for us and his longing that we be like 
him. He has shed his blood expressly that we 
may therein make white our robes. In proportion 
as we are true to him we shall do it, and in pro¬ 
portion as we do it will our affection for him blos¬ 
som forth. “Only those are crowned and sainted 


SONGS IN THE NIGHT’ 


125 


who with grief have been acquainted/' “Knowl- 
edge by suffering entereth, and life is perfected by 
death." 

The unpolished pearl can never shine; 

’Tis sorrow makes the soul divine. 

The song we raise will also be one of courage 
and faith and patience, for all these things are 
mixed inextricably with trials, and spring from 
them at our option. “It is a great loss to lose an 
affliction," said Wesley, meaning that we can get 
better by it or not according as we take pains to 
turn it to good account or merely endure it as a 
piece of ill luck. Our ills may be wells if we will. 
“The pearl of patience is the fruit of pain." 
Sorrows are our spurs. “Men need troubles 
as clocks need weights," and for much the 
same purpose—to make the machinery turn 
with profit. We are little likely to grow in 
humility and in a deep sense of our dependence 
on God when everything goes well with us, 
goes, that is, to our fancy. We become self- 
confident and uplifted in our own esteem. 
Worldly prosperity is so severe a test of virtue 
that we may well hesitate to ask it either for 
ourselves or our friends. Our eagerness for 
a mansion on high is apt to be a good deal lessened 
by the possession of one below. Great characters 
are seldom formed except in the school of afflic¬ 
tion. 


126 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


It is fully possible to “make a crutch of our 
cross,” and to “pass to the palace of peace over 
the bridge of sighs.” Indeed, it is hardly possible 
to get there in any other way. “Rubs and drubs 
and snubs make the man.” We have to learn 
obedience by the things which we suffer, as even 
Jesus did. “No mill no meal, no sweat no sweet, 
no pain no palm, no thorn no throne, no cross no 
crown.” Perspiration goes with aspiration. 
Everything depends on the handle by which we 
take our tribulations. It is very easy to get worse 
under the rod. The same sun that softens the 
wax hardens the clay; the same heat that draws 
perfume from the flower brings foul odor from 
the dunghill. Affliction may be looked upon as 
“the shadow of God’s wings,” wings that brood 
over us in tenderest affection, or as the shadow 
of a thunder cloud laden with destruction. It 
makes all the difference in the world whether we 
use the eye of faith or the eye of sense; how could 
we use the eye of faith, and thus strengthen it, 
if everything was always bright? 

Do we sometimes, in a moment of fierce tempta¬ 
tion or anguish, feel like saying, “Lord, take away 
pain”? If so, brief reflection shows us the folly 
of it. For, as Browning says, “Put pain from out 
the world, what room were left for thanks to God, 
for love to man ?” Pain is the greatest of God’s 
teachers. By it we learn sympathy with others. 


SONGS IN THE NIGHT’ 


127 


Without it we should be hard and cold and selfish, 
self-contained, self-centered, self-conceited. Un¬ 
speakably precious lessons of brotherhood and 
helpfulness come from our pangs and our prostra¬ 
tions, our faults and our failures. What a mercy 
is physical pain, which warns us that something is 
out of order in the body and needs attention, thus 
preventing our sudden dissolution. Nor is it 
otherwise with pain mental, which calls a halt in 
our proud career of self-sufficiency, throws us 
back on our fellows, equips us for service, puts us 
into the way of communion with God and com¬ 
panionship with Jesus. It has wonderful com¬ 
pensations. “The deepest griefs have holiest 
ministries.’’ 

Then let the storm that speeds me home 
Deal with me as it may. 

Then sorrow, touched by Thee, grows bright 
With more than rapture’s ray; 

As darkness shows us worlds of light 
We never saw by day. 


21 

PERFECT PATIENCE 

There are two forms of patience, sometimes 
termed the masculine and feminine. It is the task 
of the one to wait without discouragement, of the 
other to suffer without complaining. And though 
these are closely allied, springing from the same 
root, they are not quite the same, and will tax 
a person at slightly different points. The former 
leads to persistence in an enterprise, or steadfast 
continuance in welldoing; it has in it a more 
active element. The latter leads to a quiet, unmur¬ 
muring endurance of pain and grief; it is purely 
passive, accepting what comes either stoically or 
cheerfully. Both when carried out into full 
development require a courage and strength of 
nature by no means common. 

There are also three directions in which patience 
needs to be exercised. One is toward others, in 
regard to their many infirmities. Almost every¬ 
one whom we meet is a trial to us in some ways, 
and offers an opportunity to develop this virtue, 
for he is pretty sure to be differently constituted 
from what we are at many points and does things 
not quite as we would do them. It will help us 

128 


PERFECT PATIENCE 


129 


to behave as we should if we reflect that we are 
as much of a trial to others as they are to us, and 
in proportion to our need of forbearance from 
them should be our extension of it to them. 

Another direction is toward self, in regard to 
desired progress of all kinds. The eager, impetu¬ 
ous, ambitious spirit can hardly brook the inevi¬ 
table delays that seem to hamper his advance 
toward the goal. There is no place where so much 
hard work can be put in with such small visible 
results as in the perfecting of character. A man 
may easily be a great deal better without appearing 
very much so to the eye of the ordinary or aver¬ 
age observer. The margin is, in most cases, com¬ 
paratively small within which the changes in our 
character must take place as the years go on. A 
firmer and finer patience is one of the marks of 
spiritual progress which do not make much show, 
and for this very reason it is an unusually excel¬ 
lent test of the sincerity and depth of our purpose 
to be wholly pleasing in God’s sight. 

The third direction that our patience has to take 
is toward God, in regard to seeing the results of 
our work. He is never in a hurry. He hides 
himself. “He is least seen when all the powers 
of ill are most abroad”; “he seems to leave us to 
ourselves just when we need him most”; his 
plans work out slowly, and we fail to understand 
him. But he is on the field when most invisible, 


130 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


and in due time we shall reap if we faint not. 
Impatience is not a thing to be trifled with. Its 
roots go deep. It always involves want of sub¬ 
mission, want of love, want of faith. If we had 
perfect faith in God, in ourselves, and our fellow 
men, there would be no trouble in having patience 
with them. So, too, if we loved others as well as 
we should, it would be very easy to bear with 
them, to make excuses and allowances. All that 
they did would be so covered with the mantle of 
affection that the cross or hasty word would 
hardly be able even to suggest itself. And if our 
submission to God were complete, all his arrange¬ 
ments for us, even the minute ones against which 
we are so apt to stumble and fret, would suit us 
exactly. Our intolerance, our impatience with the 
opinions of others, is still another manifestation 
of the same wide-ramifying evil. When we con¬ 
sider all these facts and the many, many occasions 
in our complicated civilization, mixed up as we 
are so closely with each other on every side, 
where patience is called for, it is readily seen 
that for patience to have a perfect work is an 
attainment of no small magnitude. Well might 
it be said of such a one, he is “perfect and entire, 
wanting nothing.” 

A patience that never fails, however unexpected 
and severe the test to which it is put, however 
dull and careless the servant, however unreason- 


PERFECT PATIENCE 131 

able and unready the assistant, however slow and 
stupid the pupil; a patience that never, toward 
subordinates, equals, or superiors, indulges a 
peevish thought or gives vent to a petulant look; 
a patience that, even under the greatest provoca¬ 
tion, is considerate, forbearing, and submissive; 
a patience that, when tired and nervous, when 
engrossed in absorbing business or pushing things 
that require expedition, and in matters where the 
deepest interests are involved, the keenest feel¬ 
ings called forth, is not found lacking for a 
second; a patience that plods calmly, persistently 
on, continuing unwearied in welldoing whatever 
treatment it meets with from heaven, earth, or 
hell—is what we mean by perfect patience. 

Who can tell its price? No virtue is so con¬ 
stantly in demand. None stands in such close 
relations to our own comfort or to the happiness 
of those immediately about us. There is no keener 
test of our condition. Patience is real heroism 
and true nobility. It is deliverance from thrall- 
dom to a thousand things, triumph over a 
thousand petty foes. Patience is power. “All 
comes round to him who can wait.” “He who 
does not tire tires adversity.” “Hold on, hold 
fast, hold out,” has been the motto of all who 
have achieved greatness. 

Perfect patience is a sign of great maturity, so 
that the young Christian need be in no degree dis- 


132 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


couraged if he does not find himself possessed of 
it all at once. It is not the work of a day. But 
if he presses forward with due diligence, and 
takes all pains, even counting it all joy when he 
falls into manifold temptations and trials, as James 
says, because knowing that the trial or proof of 
his faith worketh patience, that is, leads to larger 
and larger measures of it, he will in due time 
obtain it fully, and find it worth all it cost. 

fSerene, I fold my hands and wait, 

Nor care for wind or tide or sea; 

I rave no more 'gainst time or fate, 

For, lo! my own shall come to me. 

I stay my haste, I make delays, 

For what avails this eager pace? 

I stand amid the eternal ways. 

And what is mine shall know my face. 

The stars come nightly to the sky; 

The tidal wave unto the sea; 

Nor time nor space, nor deep nor high, 

Can keep my own away from me. 


22 


TRUE AND FALSE HUMILITY 

Both kinds exist. The importance of distin¬ 
guishing them needs no argument. In proportion 
to the preciousness of the one must be the per¬ 
niciousness of the other. False humility disgusts 
and disables as much as true humility attracts and 
ennobles. The two are confused in the minds of 
very many, to their exceeding great injury. Few 
things have been more misunderstood than humil¬ 
ity and meekness. Many appear to think that it 
means inferiority and insignificance, the counting 
ourselves in all respects vile and useless. They 
assume that the humble man will crawl and cringe, 
will be bashful and timorous and unaspiring, that 
he will make himself, and call himself, a worm, 
will court obscurity and obloquy, and seek to be 
despised, downtrodden, forgotten. Some saintly 
men, strong as well as good, would seem to have 
fallen into this foolishness. The Baron De Renty 
said, “If I were to wish anything, it would be to 
be treated as an offscouring by men.” The biog¬ 
rapher of John Fletcher says, “He took pleasure 
in being little and unknown.” Such examples 
have tended to obscure and pervert the right ways 
133 


134 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


of the Lord in this matter. They have gone 
far to turn a beautiful virtue into an abom¬ 
inable vice, or at least a weakness and a dis¬ 
figurement. This is all wrong. Is there no such 
thing as an honest self-respect? Cannot one be 
servant of all without being servile to all? Is 
it obligatory for us to abdicate our manhood, and 
practice deceit upon ourselves, and knowingly 
falsify our real position? Are we any the better 
for shutting our eyes to simple and unquestioned 
facts? Most certainly not. The truth above all 
things, is a good motto. 

True humility is the pearl and crown of a shin¬ 
ing, symmetrical Christian character. Its loveli¬ 
ness is only equaled by its rarity. Nothing is 
more beautiful, nothing more essential. Like an 
artesian well, the deeper the boring the fuller the 
flow. Like the caissons of a bridge pier, we must 
sink lower and lower till we reach bed rock before 
a noble and lofty structure can safely be erected. 
Like the tree, the further down the roots go the 
higher and broader may spread the branches. 
Only he that humbleth himself can be truly and 
safely exalted. All agree that the holiest Chris¬ 
tians are the humblest, even as the branches that 
bear the most fruit bend the lowest, and the ship 
most laden sinks deepest. 

Humility, that low sweet root 

From which all heavenly virtues shoot. 


TRUE AND FALSE HUMILITY 


135 


But putting aside figures of speech, which are 
often misleading, and speaking with prosaic pre¬ 
ciseness, just what is true humility? We do not 
believe it can be better defined than by saying: 
Perfect humility is that disposition which leads 
to and proceeds from a correct estimate of our¬ 
selves ; or, in other words, a perfect willingness to 
be rated exactly as we deserve. It does not re¬ 
quire us to underrate ourselves, and so spoil our 
efficiency for work. It certainly forbids us to 
overrate ourselves, or think of ourselves more 
highly than we ought. An unveiled, candid con¬ 
sciousness of our defects and imperfections will 
make this latter impossible. If we ought to think 
highly in some respects, because the truth abso¬ 
lutely demands it, then so to think is not pride. 
To violate the truth is never anything but evil, 
and cannot be good either for ourselves or those 
about us. A view of our own attainments which 
is amply borne out by solid, well-ascertained facts 
is not contrary to humility, even though that view 
gives us a comparatively high rank among men. 
A very fair synonym for humility is sober-mind¬ 
edness (Rom. 12. 3). It is a calm, temperate, dis¬ 
passionate measurement of one’s own powers, 
one’s capacities and faculties—a just estimate of 
one’s own worth together with the temper of mind 
and heart usually connected with such a valuation. 
Pride is simply inordinate self-esteem, an over- 


136 THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 

valuation of self, the being swollen with a vain 
conceit of unreal endowments. 

If it be asked how we can arrive at this right 
estimate of self and avoid the mistakes, either on 
the one side or the other, so extremely common, 
our reply would be, simply by accepting God’s 
estimate. His valuation cannot fail to be correct. 
How can we know what it is ? It will be revealed 
in his providential dealings with us. Wherever 
he assigns us there is our true place. It may be 
a much lower place that we had been expecting, 
or than we thought we deserved. Never mind 
that. It is the place which for the time belongs 
to us. If pride still lingers within us, we shall 
more or less decidedly resent it, and manifest a 
discontented spirit. If we are perfectly humble, 
we shall unhesitatingly and joyfully receive it. 

Obedience, then, is the test of humility. The 
intimate connection of the two has not been suf¬ 
ficiently noted. It is pointed out in James 4. 
6, 7, “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace 
unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore 
to God.” Also in 1 Pet. 5. 5, 6, “All of you 
be subject one to another, and be clothed with 
humility. . . . Humble yourselves therefore 

under the mighty hand of God.” Some one has 
said, “While love is the losing of the heart in 
God, humility is the losing of the will in God.” 
He, then, who accepts whatever comes to him 


TRUE AND FALSE HUMILITY 


*37 


promptly and gladly, without reservation or hesi¬ 
tation, counting it his duty and joy because it 
infallibly indicates God’s measurement of him, 
which must be the right measurement, such a 
one may be set down as perfectly humble. The 
humble man prefers others in honor, puts them 
forward wherever he can conscientiously, because, 
being unselfish, he thinks more of giving them 
pleasure than of taking it himself. He esteems 
others in some respects better than himself, be¬ 
cause he fixes his mind upon those aspects of their 
character most creditable to them, puts the best 
construction possible upon their actions, and 
ascribes to them the best motives he can. He 
remembers that he is not a competent judge of 
his own qualifications bcause he sees plainly that 
other people are not so in their own case, and he 
thinks it altogether probable that he has similar 
infirmities and partialities. He seeks not great 
things for himself and desires not glory from 
men, understanding well its worthlessness, and 
feeling that to do so would be contrary both to 
the precept and example of his Master. 

The popular thought that humility and lowli¬ 
ness have much in common is not, after all, so far 
astray—in spite of what we have said about its 
intimate connection with truthfulness—because 
our true place before God is a very low one, 
in view of our unfaithfulness, and also because 


138 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


our true place among men is a far lower one, as 
a rule, than we like to think. It is every way wise 
to rate our duties high, our deserts and claims, 
our rights and merits, low; we shall stand a 
better chance to get them correct than by any other 
proceeding. A feeling of our absolute self-insuf¬ 
ficiency is the one thing necessary to make avail¬ 
able the all-sufficiency of Christ. To love to be 
unknown is not necessary, provided we heartily 
love God’s will even when it means obscurity. If 
we are really the Lord’s, and have given up call¬ 
ing ourselves our own, we can accept our insig¬ 
nificance joyfully, for it is wholly God’s affair 
what becomes of us, whether or not we are useful 
or important. There is need of care that we do 
not take satisfaction in our virtues or count them 
as really our own; that way lies pride. We should 
also be very guarded in letting our mind dwell on 
what other people say or think of us; there is 
danger in it to our simplicity, humility, and quiet¬ 
ness of spirit. 

Patience and meekness are twin sisters of 
humility, because he who is properly humble and 
thoroughly conversant with his own faults will 
regard himself as deserving all the mortifications 
that come to him, and will not be disposed to 
resent them. He will give soft answers to rough 
questions and soothing replies to insulting re¬ 
marks, because keenly conscious of his own great 


TRUE AND FALSE HUMILITY 


139 


need that this treatment be meted out to him. 
Humility and happiness are also very closely re¬ 
lated. For he who takes low views of his merits 
will be thankful for small mercies, and he who is 
always thankful is always happy. Nor is humil¬ 
ity, as we have tried to make clear, in any way in¬ 
compatible with magnanimity or great-minded- 
ness, the undertaking of large things for God. 
Let us be very sure it is for God and not for self, 
and we are all right. 

Bishop Phillips Brooks well said: “It is almost 
as presumptuous to think you can do nothing as 
to think you can do everything. The latter folly 
supposes that God exhausted himself when he 
made you: but the former supposes that God made 
a hopeless blunder when he made you, which it is 
quite as impious for you to think.” An over¬ 
thought of self is of the nature of pride. A quat¬ 
rain from the Persian neatly expresses this: 

In proud humility a pious man went through the field; 

The ears of corn were bowing in the wind as if they 
kneeled; 

He struck them on the head, and modestly began to say, 

“Unto the Lord, not unto me, such honors should you 
pay.” 

Decidedly, the best thing to do if we would culti¬ 
vate humility is to shake off this poisoning self- 
consciousness, this oversense of our own person¬ 
ality, to forget self by becoming absorbed in the 


140 THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 

desire to serve God and bless our fellow men. 
One of the best tests of humility is the cheerful 
service of the lowest, the most helpless sufferers 
among our fellows, coupled with a cheerful obe¬ 
dience to every direction of our God and Father. 

In the deed that no man knoweth, 

Where no praiseful trumpet bloweth, 

Where he may not reap who soweth, 

There, Lord, let my heart serve thee. 

Thy home is with the humble, Lord! 

The simplest are the best. 

Thy lodging is in childlike hearts; 

Thou makest there thy rest. 

Dear Comforter! Eternal Love! 

If thou wilt stay with me, 

Of lowly thoughts and simple ways 
I’ll build a house for thee. 


23 

INDEPENDENCE 

“Don't care” may be a word of sublimity or 
a word of frivolity, perhaps infamy, according 
to the spirit in which it is said and the object 
toward which it is directed. Everybody says “I 
don’t care” with reference to some things. If we 
know what the things are, we know the rank of 
the person. He who boldly defies the convention¬ 
alities and trivialities of the world in the cause 
of virtue and truth is a hero. He who refuses to 
consider questions of right and wrong when they 
interfere with his plans to obtain place and power 
and pelf is a knave and a slave. To think little 
of conditions and much of conduct, little of dollars 
and much of duties, little of pleasures and much 
of principles, little of fortune and much of faith¬ 
fulness, is the mark of a noble mind; while the 
opposite shows baseness. Indifference to the 
petty, passing shows of earth and to mere selfish 
personal aggrandizement is magnificent and holy, 
but no man can afford to be indifferent to the 
really essential things of high manhood. What 
are the things with reference to which one says, 
“These I must have,” “These I cannot do with- 

141 


142 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


out”? They disclose his character. People find 
time for what they want, what they consider of 
primary importance. Other things are crowded 
out and these are crowded in. 

He who says, “I care for nothing else but to 
be daily dearer to Christ, I care not for conse¬ 
quences, I care only to do the will of God,” he 
alone is truly independent. He has fully within 
his power the only thing which he counts of high¬ 
est worth. Whatever else may be denied us by 
adverse circumstances, we cannot be deprived, 
against our will, of the opportunity to grow in 
grace, in high character, in likeness to Jesus. This 
is the one thing having eternal value; and if this 
is the thing we supremely prize, we are all right, 
in spite of untoward conditions. He is surely in¬ 
dependent, and only he, who feels that he has no 
one to please but Jesus, whom he most dearly 
loves, and that no one can take Jesus from him. 
He is not concerned for consequences, he is con¬ 
cerned only to do right, and strength for that 
purpose is absolutely guaranteed to him. A chain¬ 
less soul is surely his. “He wears a coat of mail 
that none can pierce.” 

Freedom, we are told, comes by the truth. It 
comes especially by a deep realization of the truth 
that we are the Lord's, and hence dependent on 
no earthly master, that we are not our own nor 
anybody else’s, but just his. It comes also by 


INDEPENDENCE 


143 


the truth that eternal things are the realities, and 
hence it matters extremely little whether we are 
supplied with or separated from mere temporal¬ 
ities. He who deals directly with God and fixes 
his thought on the hereafter is lifted far above 
the trials which spring from men and things. He 
is able to look down and see lying beneath him, 
dead, that part of himself which is capable of dis¬ 
appointment or disquietment or fear. This is a 
triumph of great magnitude, a sign that we are 
on a mount of immense advantage. If riches is 
the fulfillment of desire, or having what we want, 
power is the capacity to do without, to make a 
fullness out of emptiness, to be happy in spite of 
loss and lack. And this is much better. It stamps 
the superior man, “lord of himself, though not 
of lands, who, having nothing, yet hath all.” 

The true Christian can cry: “I am a king. I 
am a multimillionaire, for I believe in God and 
I belong to Jesus. What else is worth mention¬ 
ing ?” His riches cannot be told, his income is 
more than princely, his liberty is not of the mere 
externals but pertains to that within. He is not 
simply free from outward fetters but from all 
inward bonds. His passions and appetites are 
not his master; he is prepared for anything; he 
is never forced to say, “I cannot do what I feel 
to be right.” He is not tied down by cords of 
hope and fear, nor festered and pestered by jeal- 


144 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


ousies, envies, rancors, and discontents. He is 
unvanquished and unconquerable, captain of his 
soul in a higher sense than that known to the 
Stoic. He has his own way because he loves 
God’s way, which is being constantly carried out. 
Failure is not possible for such because his aim 
is pure, and, aiming only at doing what his 
Master wants done, he must succeed. 

Whoever is much concerned as to what “they 
say” puts his peace of mind at the disposal of “the 
ever-mutable multitude” largely made up of 
gossips and fools. The man of independent mind 
refuses to be brought into any such bondage. He 
declines to wear a collar or carry a badge. He 
feels it his privilege to be just himself, to let 
others go the way they prefer, or the way 
they must, while he goes as God guides him in the 
paths of life and light. “To thine own self be 
true,” he says, with Shakespeare; be no imitator; 
take your own course, and, if misunderstood, 
wait patiently for the vindication which will come 
in God’s good time. No one can really harm us 
but ourselves. “No mud can soil us but the mud 
we throw.” It surely is “a changeless law from 
which no soul can sway or swerve, we have that 
in us which will draw whate’er we need or most 
deserve.” So we can wait in meekness, trusting 
that by and by we shall walk in power. 

Each one must do his own work, and largely 


INDEPENDENCE 


145 


in his own way. Let him find his niche and meet 
the wants of those who respond to his touch. It 
is easy to spoil one’s life by failure to comprehend 
this truth—that we are made different and must 
work differently. Too many vex themselves with¬ 
out reason because they cannot be like somebody 
else. We have our own calling from God, a place 
to fill which can be filled by no other; and if 
we do our best, not somebody else’s best, we shall 
get the “Well done.” 

Let the church of God get a baptism of bold¬ 
ness and independence. Let believers find in 
simple duty done a reward so rich and royal that 
they shall in no wise crave external laudation. 
Why should they be solicitous whether on-lookers 
praise or sneer ? They degrade their celestial dig¬ 
nity by submitting their conduct to terrestrial 
standards. Their rightful place is not under 
the feet of men, but on a throne above their heads. 
Their allegiance is on high. Let them stand erect 
and bow not at the behest of any mortal judge. 
He that judgeth them is the Lord. Toward him 
be their face, from him be their glory. 

By thine own soul’s law learn to live; 

And if men thwart thee, take no heed; 

And if men hate thee, have no care; 

Sing thou thy song and do thy deed; 

Hope thou thy hope and pray thy prayer, 

And claim no crown they will not give, 

Nor bays they grudge thee for thy hair. 



PART IV 

THE CONTEMPLATIVE 


147 




24 

THE PRESENCE OF GOD 

Nothing is more central in the Christian life 
than the practice of the presence of God. It car¬ 
ries so much with it. If God is in our thought 
continually, or as nearly so as the constitution of 
human nature permits, what a power the habit 
must exert upon us in all directions! Will any¬ 
thing else lead so surely to swift progress in divine 
things, be such a safeguard against every step¬ 
ping aside from the path of righteousness, be so 
effective an incentive to the performance of every 
duty ? Eyeservice, in this sense, is the very high¬ 
est service, for the eye upon us while all-search¬ 
ing, is all-loving too, and in its light we can do 
our best. 

God is always with us, and we are always with 
him. No comfort can be so deep, no stimulus can 
be so great. We can be alone with him amid the 
crowd that throngs the busy mart, by night, by 
day, at home, abroad, in life, in death, still with 
him. We can pillow our head at night upon the 
thought of God, and find new strength in it each 
morning, the daybreak of our hopes, the sunset 
of our fears. If the eyes of our faith are un- 

149 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


150 

dimmed, and the ears of our spiritual understand¬ 
ing are wide open, we shall find ourselves “circled 
with his voice” and he will come to us everywhere. 
The trees will mean God, and the flowers, the 
water and the sky; we shall see him in all the 
things that he has made; we shall read in them his 
word at all times; there will be nothing but what 
shall bring him to our mind. As we sit within our 
room the fire will burn the brighter while we think 
that it is his care for us that has kindled it; we 
shall sit not so much in the chair as enfolded by 
his arms, we shall gaze not merely on certain 
creature comforts but on precious tokens of his 
love. Through him the very rose will be more 
red, the violet more sweet, the sun more warm, the 
water more refreshing, the kindliness of kindred 
more endearing, the harshness of the world less 
cold and less important. Where’er we look we 
shall see his face. His message to us will flame 
out “in morning’s manuscript and night’s, in 
gospels of the growing grain, epistles of the pond 
and plain.” We shall listen for him, and not in 
vain, amid the noises and the stillness, for he will 
come to us and speak to us in them all. 

There are in this loud, stunning tide 
Of human care and crime, 

With whom the melodies abide 
Of th’ everlasting chime. 

Who carry music in their heart 
Through dusky lane and wrangling mart. 


THE PRESENCE OF GOD 151 

Plying their daily task with busier feet 

Because their secret souls a holy strain repeat. 

Happy he who can feel God with his soul as 
keenly and as really as he feels the air with his 
body. Thrice happy he who has so vivid a sense 
of the actual personal presence of his Saviour 
that he walks with him and talks to him more 
intimately and constantly than with any earthly 
friend. It can be done. It may grow by cultiva¬ 
tion to be the greatest power of one’s days, the 
sweetest refreshment of one’s nights. It will 
diffuse a mighty influence continually through 
the heart and through the life. Recollectedness 
of spirit is a phrase which devout writers often 
use to express this habit. It may be described as 
a double attention which we pay both to God and 
to ourselves at the same time, bringing the two 
into most intimate union. There need be no 
vehemence or strain about it, no bondage as of a 
painful task, yet, of course, it is not without effort, 
for distractions are many, interruptions almost 
constant. The sense of God’s nearness can¬ 
not act with equal intensity or be equally vivid 
in consciousness at all times; it cannot be 
absolutely uninterrupted. The law of health¬ 
ful feeling demands changes. We are not 
to condemn ourselves when necessary business 
requires, for a season, our close, exclusive atten¬ 
tion. Nevertheless, there may be that habitual 


152 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


spring and swing of the soul Godward which will 
send it swiftly back to him whenever the restraint 
of pressure is removed; a steadily increasing bent 
in that direction, displacing the bent earthward 
and sinward which makes us in our unregenerate 
state, and even in the early stages of our disciple- 
ship, so “prone to wander.” The habit of recol¬ 
lection, the key to the position in the religious 
life, is not to be reached by any easy or royal road 
of quick obtaining; it comes by patient practice. 

Why do the poets, beginning with the psalmist, 
speak so much of “the secret of his presence,” 
“the secret place of the Most High”? Chiefly, 
we think, because the believer so constantly baffles 
his pursuers, or oppressors and assailants, by 
retiring within this unseen fortress the key to 
which they cannot discover. He is safely hidden 
from all alarms, all woes, all foes. His entire 
deliverance from the strife of tongues and the 
fear of men, his composure under their taunts and 
threats, his peace amid the storm, his brightness 
in the gloom, is an impenetrable mystery to them. 
With this “secret of the Lord” they cannot 
meddle; it mocks them and puzzles them; it foils 
and frustrates all their schemes. How sweet and 
unbroken the rest when our Saviour is our keeper, 
keeping us and ours in his strong pavilion! 

Another Scripture phrase which bears upon 
this same theme is “walking with God.” “Enoch 


THE PRESENCE OF GOD 


153 


walked with God.” We are called to “walk in 
his ways,” “to walk after the Lord,” “to walk 
in the light of the Lord.” Jehovah said, “Walk 
before me, and be thou perfect.” This walking 
implies oneness of spirit and feeling, for, certainly, 
as the prophet Amos observes, “Two cannot walk 
together except they be agreed.” It implies also 
oneness in action, for a walk is more than passivity 
or receptivity; it covers the whole conduct. Not 
essentially different is “waiting upon God,” which 
is so frequently enjoined in the holy Word. This 
hints at the importance of time exposure if the 
image divine, at which we gaze, is to impress 
itself fully and clearly upon us. A hurried glance 
will not do; there must be long tarrying and close 
marrying, if we are to be changed into this image. 
There is an assimilating process which cannot be 
very much hastened, and comes only through pro¬ 
tracted personal contact, where the mind is stayed 
on God. Only thus are we kept in perfect peace, 
only thus can we reach even an approximation to 
the perfect Model. To walk with him, to wait 
upon him, is to have him for a close companion 
all the time, and thus grow daily into a more 
thorough likeness to him. For this, it is indis¬ 
pensable that we behold him in all things and all 
events and all men, without the smallest or slight¬ 
est exception; that we “live, not by bread alone” 
(not merely by set times of regular eating), but 


154 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


“by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth 
of God, ,, every arrangement of the divine will 
whether coming to us directly from the divine 
agent, or indirectly through human secondary 
agents. Supremely, superbly blest are the few 
who have learned this secret and mastered this 
practice. They meet a loving, living will of God 
wherever they move; in all occurrences they have 
constant colloquies and conferences with their 
best Friend; they come to know him more in¬ 
timately all the while by living with him so con¬ 
stantly, and in this fullest fellowship abiding, they 
find the chief joy of heaven already theirs. 

Let thy sweet presence light my way, 

And hallow every cross I bear; 

Transmuting duty, conflict, care, 

Into love’s service day by day. 

Thou who hast given me eyes to see 
And love this sight so fair, 

Give me a heart to find out thee, 

And read thee everywhere. 


25 

THE WILL OF GOD 

Religion resides in the will, primarily and 
mainly, not in the emotions, except as they are 
exponents of willing. The great question is not, 
How do you feel ? but, Is your will one with God’s 
will, always, in everything, without exception or 
reservation? To watch our choices is much more 
important than to watch our feelings. The affec¬ 
tions at their best are intertwined with the voli¬ 
tions. They are of very little value when not thus 
intertwined, when purely impulsive or instinctive, 
with no root in the reason or connection with the 
judgment, divorced altogether from the more 
responsible and permanent part of our being. 
The only thing anywhere desirable or valuable is 
God’s will, and that comes to us every moment 
saying, “Wilt thou be a fool and reject me, or 
wilt thou be wise and accept me?” It is better 
not even to use words, as we often carelessly do, 
which imply a choice on our part aside from the 
divine wilL 

Incense must be continually burning on the un¬ 
seen altar of our heart. That which consumes in 
the fire must be our own will. Since nothing is 
155 


156 THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 

troublesome that we do willingly, our troubles 
must depart when our wills are fully in line with 
God's and we do his behests with cheerfulness. 
How glorious to be able to triumph in the triumph 
of our enemies, if we have them, just as much 
as in the triumph of our friends, because in both 
cases equally we consider that the will of the Lord 
is done! What can harm or disturb such a saint ? 
To adore profoundly all of God’s unknown, un¬ 
comprehended purposes simply because they are 
his is a mark of perfect resignation. The danc¬ 
ing of the soul at the music of the divine will is 
very pleasing to the Lord. 

The will of God is to be discerned not by im¬ 
pressions only or mainly, but by Scripture, reason, 
providence, and the advice of judicious friends, 
united with and acting as a check upon such im¬ 
pressions as may be made directly upon our minds 
by the Holy Spirit. We must be conformed to 
the will of God not only in our own sufferings but 
in the sufferings of others and in public calam¬ 
ities. This will not prevent the extension of our 
sympathy to the afflicted, nor the helping of those 
in need. But we shall be brought nearer to the 
Lord in so doing and be able to bring others 
nearer. 

Our business is to concur with God; his alone 
to originate. If the will of God is to us a rack 
or a prisonhouse instead of being a place of rest 


THE WILL OF GOD 


157 


and a home, we do not yet really know what true 
religion is. They who have to sigh “Thy will 
be done” instead of singing it show that they have 
still some way to go on the way toward divine 
union. Not resignation simply but rejoicing in 
the will is the genuine Christian’s part and priv¬ 
ilege ; the former is attainable by the pious heathen 
or the moral philosopher; the latter needs ac¬ 
quaintance with the wonderful love of God as a 
personal experience. It is not our business to be 
resigned to circumstances, but to conquer them, 
while at the same time we accept gladly the will of 
our Father as manifested in them. The thor¬ 
oughly devout soul claps hands and plies wings, 
breaking into song and soaring skyward even 
when clouds abound, for it sees the smiling face 
of God behind the frowning providence. A pure 
heart, or a perfect love, equals a right will, a will 
in union with God’s, divinely empowered against 
all sin. 

The best men who have lived have been dis¬ 
tinguished by nothing so much as by their whole¬ 
hearted and single-eyed devotion to the divine 
will. John Fletcher, who was esteemed by many 
to be “the most holy man who has been upon the 
earth since the apostolic age,” said this: “When 
we love God we have always our heart’s desire, 
for we love his will, his desires become ours, and 
ours are always perfectly resigned to his. Now, 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


158 

as God does whatsoever he pleases both in heaven 
and in earth, his lovers always have their heart’s 
desire, forasmuch as they always have his will, 
which is theirs. Submitting our private will to 
his is only preferring the greater good to the less. 
For my part, as I expect nothing from men, they 
cannot disappoint me; and as I expect all good 
things from God in the time, way, pleasure, and 
manner it pleaseth him to bestow, here I cannot 
be disappointed because he does and will do all 
things well.” 

Frederick William Faber, who came in no way 
short of the highest excellence, had for his life 
motto, Voluntas Dei —“The will of God”; it was 
embroidered on his clothing and stamped upon 
his heart. “The music of the will” was a frequent 
phrase with him. He said on an important oc¬ 
casion: “I have no plans; I have been simply 
waiting to know God’s will. I would not lift up a 
finger either way to decide it. I dread most keenly 
swerving from the will of God in this matter in 
the slightest degree.” Such was his constant, his 
habitual attitude. He wrote: “Remember above 
all things to cultivate a spirit of special devotion 
to God’s holy will; recognize it in little events 
and love it.” “To do God’s will is the great thing, 
and to do it at the expense of our own will is the 
greatest thing of all.” “If there be an ounce more 
of glory to God in my condemnation and the pro- 


THE WILL OF GOD 


159 


scription of my book, I am only too glad to be the 
means of his getting it.” 

When obstacles and trials seem 
Like prison walls to be, 

I do the little I can do, 

And leave the rest to thee. 

I know not what it is to doubt; 

My heart is ever gay; 

I run no risk, for come what will 
Thou always hast thy way. 

I have no cares, O blessed Will! 

For all my cares are thine; 

I live in triumph, Lord, for thou 
Hast made thy triumphs mine. 

He always wins who sides with God, 

To him no chance is lost; 

God's will is sweetest to him when 
It triumphs at his cost. 

Ride on, ride on triumphantly, 

Thou glorious Will! ride on; 

Faith’s pilgrim sons behind thee take 
The road that thou hast gone. 

Ill that he blesses is our good, 

And unblest good is ill; 

And all is right that seems most wrong, 

If it be his sweet wi’l 


26 


DIVINE PROVIDENCE 

It is easier to write a book about Divine Prov¬ 
idence than a short article. The author has 
written a book (called The Life Ecstatic) largely 
on this subject, to which he must refer, for fuller 
explanations, those who have a special interest 
in the topic and are not entirely satisfied with the 
necessarily brief account here submitted. No 
doctrine touches profounder depths or higher 
altitudes, none has closer application to practical 
life, none requires more careful thought, or pro¬ 
duces, when rightly apprehended, intenser satis¬ 
faction. It can easily be perverted or misunder¬ 
stood. Much has been said about it. All best 
guides to the highest Christian experience are 
unanimous as to its importance. They are heartily 
in accord also with the principles here enunciated. 

What are these principles? That God reigns, 
and all is well. That God is the only force, the 
only source of power, in material things. That 
sin is the only real evil, and sin, properly speak¬ 
ing, is in the volitions, not in the mere outward 
actions or in any other external affair. These 
statements are easily made, but in this compact 
160 


DIVINE PROVIDENCE 161 

form, without explanation and illustration, not, 
perhaps, altogether easy to take in. The infer¬ 
ences from them are that every event is a prov¬ 
idence, that all things are godsends, that every 
occurrence is divine, delicious, delightful, a cause 
for praise and thanksgiving, that every moment 
as it meets us is a true and unalterable expression 
of God’s wonderful good pleasure concerning 
us. If this be true, how desirable it is that people 
should know it! For, if they fully believed it, a 
total revolution would be wrought in their lives. 
Divine sovereignty is a doctrine supposed to 
impinge upon free will so mysteriously, or to be 
mixed up with it in so complicated a manner as 
to be inextricable by the human intellect. This 
may be so in some theoretical or doctrinal aspects 
of the case. But for all practical purposes it 
would seem to be enough to say that God is 
sovereign throughout the entire realm of material 
things, and man’s essential freedom as a moral 
agent is sufficiently protected by withholding 
from the reign of almighty power what the 
Scripture calls the heart, and we more generally 
term the will, of human beings. If this distinc¬ 
tion be firmly held and logically carried out, it 
builds on bed rock an invisible fortress against 
fear, it lays an unshakable foundation for faith, 
it supplies under all circumstances an incontro¬ 
vertible reason for joy. 


162 THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 

Essential to holding it is a clear conception of 
the divine immanence, a doctrine which has now 
come to be part and parcel of the most widely 
accepted systems of belief. By this doctrine it is 
meant that nature is but a form and product of 
God’s ceaseless energy, that natural law is divine 
law, or God’s ordinary way of working, that all 
things are activities of the living God, products 
of his will, kept in motion and in being by his 
personal power. Law and providence are thus 
only two phases of the same truth. The material 
universe is a manifestation of the will of the one 
Supreme Intelligence. All phenomena exhibit 
Deity. He is the source of all motion. Matter 
has no existence and no movement apart from 
him. He upholds all by the word of his power, 
and no changes of any sort in the physical realm 
can be consummated without him. “In him all 
things live and move.” With him there is neither 
great nor small. If there be purpose in anything, 
there is purpose in everything. It is unscientific, 
unphilosophical, unscriptural to set aside this 
event for God and that for some other agency. 
He never “interferes,” “intervenes,” “interposes,” 
as so many shallow thinkers claim, and almost all 
thoughtlessly repeat, because he is always in the 
midst, not coming at matters from outside, not 
One who stands looking on but One who works 
them from within as their producer. 


DIVINE PROVIDENCE 163 

There is a companion truth essential to the 
complete comprehension of, and solid satisfac¬ 
tion in, this consistent and reasonable view of 
Providence. It has regard to the nature of sin, 
which, as above indicated, must be confined in out* 
thought to the action of the will. Some find this 
difficult because our ordinary speech seems to con¬ 
tradict it. We are obliged in many matters to go 
behind the common colloquial talk if we would 
get a precise and scientific grasp of fundamental 
fact. A little reflection is enough to show that 
mere outward movements in themselves have no 
moral character whatever. They may be pro¬ 
duced by a galvanic battery. The sin lies back of 
the outward act and rests wholly in the motive 
or intention. Two persons may do precisely the 
same outward act, the one of them doing it 
sinfully and the other with perfect innocence. 
Strictly speaking, there are no sinful actions, 
but only sinful volitions or sinful persons. Man 
alone is responsible for his volitions, moral or 
immoral, while God alone is responsible for his 
actions, which are non-moral—neither innocent 
nor sinful. 

Standing firmly on the basis of this blessed 
and glorious doctrine, we can say with confidence 
that everything which befalls us comes from God 
for our good, and therefore should be a source 
of rejoicing. We can affirm deliberately that our 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


164 

heavenly Father never allows any seeming evil 
to touch us except for the production of a greater 
good, and this, of course, cannot be called a real 
evil. We are never obliged to try to make the 
best of things, because we have every reason to 
believe that the things which meet us are actually 
the best, having been already made so by Him 
who controls them. Whatever comes we can 
abjure complaining, and keep on smiling, because 
He who loves us and has perfect wisdom has 
also perfect power to prevent anything from com¬ 
ing which would not be what we ourselves would 
choose if we knew as much as he. If all that 
reaches us is an expression of God’s will concern¬ 
ing us, and we are devoted to that will with 
all our might, it would seem that we have a per¬ 
fect safeguard against trouble, and can sing the 
whole day long. Happy is the day indeed when 
this immense, magnificent privilege fully dawns 
upon the mind of any human being, and this 
habit of finding Providence everywhere becomes 
central in the soul. 

With patient course thy path of duty run; 

God nothing does or suffers to be done, 

But thou wouldst do the same if thou couldst see 

The end of all events as well as he, 


27 


HOLY QUIETNESS 

Disquiet is very common, very harmful, and 
wholly unnecessary. It springs from self, and 
is very displeasing to the heavenly Father. It 
is the inevitable lot of those who are so foolish 
as to set themselves against God. It is the rightful 
punishment of such a proceeding. It is always a 
mark of rebellion and distrust. He who has per¬ 
fect confidence in the Lord, and is conscious of 
no other purpose than to seek his glory every 
moment, how can he be agitated or disquieted? 
His language is, “Whatever happens to me, I will 
be on thy side, O my God, and will take thy part 
against men; I will bravely affirm that all happens 
to me justly, ever defending thy holy decrees.” 
Such a one is a true child of the Almighty, and 
partakes of the calm which reigns in the holy 
places. 

Tranquillity is the daughter of the love of 
God and of the resignation of our own will. The 
soul which desires only the will of God is freed 
from the bondage of the fears and desires of this 
world, and dwells in perfect peace, in every state 
content though surrounded by uncertainties. It 

165 


166 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


is doubt of God’s goodness, wisdom, or power 
that disturbs our peace. When we fully believe 
that he knows what is good for us better than 
we do ourselves, and is amply able to carry out 
his purposes concerning us, in spite of men or 
devils, we shall have most blissful rest all the 
time. Seeing plainly the truth that nothing can 
touch us except with the Father’s knowledge and 
permission has been well called “the only clue 
to a completely restful life”; that will give it. 
Not many sufficiently realize that he who frets at 
events frets at God. If we recognize in the un¬ 
welcome visitor who interrupts our plan for the 
morning or afternoon a messenger from the 
Father to whom all our time and strength belong, 
we shall save ourselves much friction, preserve 
our peace of mind, and accomplish far more in 
the end. 

Hurry, worry, and flurry are never right; work 
done quietly will ever be done in time, in God’s 
time which is better than ours. Everything 
should be done in peace, as if we were in prayer, 
for when can we be rightly in an unprayerful 
spirit ? There is such a thing as being too eager 
even for good things; too much troubled even 
about our failures in duty. God is not honored 
by our hurry and worry, nor by our despondency 
and discouragement. Calmness and cheerfulness 
are much more becoming to a child of God. Pre- 


HOLY QUIETNESS 167 

cipitation and agitation do not sit well upon him. 
They suggest an overfondness for one’s own will; 
they smack of artfulness. To acquiesce in things 
disagreeable, to pocket affronts, to be smilingly 
unconscious of slights, to be blind of one eye and 
deaf in one ear is the only path to permanent 
peace in this wearisome world. 

We are foolish if we concede to anyone the 
right and power to disturb us whenever he has 
a mind, if we put our peace at the disposal of per¬ 
verse and capricious humanity. We should have 
more self-respect than this, a larger measure of 
independence, a rightful pride in our individuality. 
If sacred melodies and sweet harmonies are 
sounding within, we shall care but little for the 
tumult without. It is our privilege to dwell deep. 
Let the wild billows roar and rage as they please 
o’er the upper ocean, the tempestuous noises die 
as we descend, and “no rude storm how fierce 
soe’er he flieth” can disturb our Sabbath rest pro¬ 
found. He who belongs to God has no other 
responsibility but to know and do his will. What 
freedom is in the thought that we have no one 
to please but Jesus! What calmness it gives! 

There is no treasure like a quiet mind, a heart 
at rest, a repose of soul undisturbed by the fluctua¬ 
tions and agitations of life’s transitions. “Let 
not your heart be rippled,” for it is the still 
pond that best reflects the heavenly glory and 


168 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


best receives the image of the highest. The 
one thing needful is a mind and heart stayed 
wholly on God. This is Isaiah’s prescription 
for perfect peace. And similar is the word 
of the psalmist, who assigns great peace to 
them who love his law or will. If we stay 
our mind on our troubles, our difficulties, our 
trials, our slights, then nothing but disturbance of 
spirit can ensue. But if we turn from these 
things, refuse to brood over them at all, and think 
continually on God, who and what he is, his rela¬ 
tions to us and ours to him, trusting, believing, 
loving, then we resemble some mirrorlike lake 
whose bosom glasses the sky, unvexed by earthly 
winds. “My soul, be thou silent unto God (Psa. 
62.5). 

Some have a prejudice against holy quietness, 
because they have confounded it with apathy, 
or think that it must be necessarily attended with 
physical laziness, intellectual sluggishness, and 
emotional torpidity. This is a mistake. There 
is no connection whatever between dullness or 
supineness and a sacred stillness of soul. Inward 
tranquillity helps, not hinders, the utmost activity 
without. For noise is not speed, bluster is not 
business, fussiness is not efficiency, however much 
they may be mistaken the one for the other by the 
unthinking. There need be no lack of vigor in 
such as are at rest in the Lord. There is not 


HOLY QUIETNESS 169 

usually, whatever the voice of calumny may 
allege. When the serenity is of grace rather than 
nature, or of principle rather than mere passive 
acquiescence, the efficiency is doubled instead of 
diminished. With no rattle and clatter of 
machinery, and without the waste and frustra¬ 
tion of friction, swiftly, noiselessly, the work is 
done, with so little apparent effort that it seems to 
do itself. This is the perfection of activity, com¬ 
bined with the perfection of peace. The church 
needs many more Christians of this ideal sort, 
those whose hearts and thoughts are guarded by 
the peace of God, and in whom the peace of 
Christ rules. 

O rest of rest! O peace, serene, eternal! 

Thou ever livest, and thou changest never; 

And in the secret of thy presence dwelleth 
Fullness of joy forever and forever. 

Rest is not quitting 
The busy career; 

Rest is the fitting 
Of self to its sphere. 

’Tis loving and serving 
The Highest and Best! 

Tis onwards, unswerving, 

And that is true rest. 


28 


LOVE DIVINE 

It is generally agreed that there is nothing 
more divine than love. Since the term, however, 
has mundane applications, such as the affection 
between husband and wife, there is a call for the 
adjective used above when we speak of the love 
directed towards Deity. The love that God is, 
and that God attracts, is of a special kind. It 
has celestial elements. It is pure and perfect. It 
springs from heaven itself, touches the inmost 
soul, and works for the highest conceivable ex¬ 
cellence. Such love in man admits of many 
degrees. The quantity possessed may be large 
or small; but if it be genuine love, of the heavenly 
sort, it is a portion of the divine essence, of an 
unvarying quality, most precious and glorious. 

Divine love has a very close connection with 
knowledge and reason and truth. It is not a 
mere blind impulse. It goes out toward the ideal. 
Having moral discernment of that which is 
best, it craves possession of it and aspires for 
attainment. Intelligence comes in. The whole 
being—physical, mental, spiritual—is involved. 
If we are normally constituted, in proportion as 
170 


LOVE DIVINE 


171 

we know the genuinely good we long for it. 
Ignorance of the object disqualifies and cripples. 
The more complete our knowledge of God, other 
things being equal, the fuller and firmer will be 
our love to him. Intellectual honesty and recep¬ 
tivity are involved. Yet the very largest amount 
of true love will not entirely or necessarily prevent 
mistakes in judgment and errors in practice. 
However good the intention, however right the 
motive, we may blunder. In many cases where 
there was no lack of thought, where we did the 
best we could under the circumstances, and hence 
are without blame, can feel no remorse, we are 
grieved because the result shows that we hindered 
where we meant to help. For unavoidable lack of 
light we are not condemned, as we must be for 
any real lack of love. A blameless purpose, a 
single eye, will bring whatever guidance is es¬ 
sential, but omniscience and infallibility, either in 
doctrine or daily conduct, are not guaranteed. 
Consummate character, superlative acceptability 
and usefulness among men, depends in part on 
something other than love however unmixed and 
intense. 

Love does not remove all differences of temper¬ 
ament, all constitutional defects, all physical ail¬ 
ments, all nervous disorders, all the effects of 
hysterical and dyspeptic diseases. It will not 
make people over after one pattern. The great 


172 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


lines of our natural dispositions will never be 
wiped out, in this world or the next. Peter will 
not become Paul, nor John, nor Thomas; cannot 
in the nature of things. People will continue to 
differ, by a divine arrangement. No two bodies 
are alike; and body necessarily affects the mind, 
the mind the spirit. Hence the great difficulty 
of judging either ourselves or others. We may 
ascribe that to virtue which is only natural 
excellence, having no merit. We may condemn 
either ourselves or our neighbors because of some 
wholly innocent natural trait which does not 
happen to accord with our ideas of what should be. 

Is there such a thing as selfish love? There 
cannot be, properly speaking, just as there cannot 
be a thoughtless love, for love and selfishness 
are mutually exclusive; but that which passes for 
love and thinks itself love may be so closely joined 
with selfishness (and is in some hearts) that it 
is difficult to tell which of the two predominates. 
Jesus rebuked his disciples for thinking that they 
really loved him when they were so taken up with 
their own grief and loss at his going that they 
wholly forgot his gain. And so it is with most 
modern mourners. Their love is proved to be of 
the earthly, not the heavenly sort, because their 
own inconvenience or loneliness far outweighs 
with them the good of the beloved. When love 
is genuine and strong it is not occupied with 


LOVE DIVINE 173 

returns; it finds its pleasure in bestowment. Barter 
defiles it. 

The test that we truly love God with all our 
love, all of which we are at this moment capable, 
is a manifested readiness to sacrifice self in his 
behalf. The question we should put to ourselves 
is, What effort am I making, or am I perfectly 
willing to make, to give him pleasure? We may 
and should put a great deal of love into little 
things done for God, done purely to please him. 
This will satisfy him better than the doing of 
greater things without fervor or somewhat 
grudgingly. And the former are always within 
our power, while the latter are not. There is a 
difference between doing a thing because it is 
right and doing the same thing out of love to the 
blessed Lord. The latter motive puts a sweetness 
into the action that transfigures it. One of the 
best ways to develop love is by taking pains to 
express it. Although love and obedience are 
closely linked, it is not enough merely to obey 
commands; a servant can do this. Love does not 
wait for commands. It studies the slightest 
wishes of the loved one and anticipates them with 
the utmost care, having some shame when direct 
requests are necessary, and deeming it a fault that 
the desire was not foreseen and fulfilled before 
any word had been spoken. 

If we love God with all our love and for him- 


174 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


self alone, not for his gifts, we shall love him 
equally under all circumstances, even when the 
gifts are taken away; for he does not change. 
If we love God with all our heart, we shall love 
his creatures not the less but in a different way, 
with, in, and for him. We shall love them in 
his order, in the degree that he sanctions, in com¬ 
plete subservience to the prompt, hearty carrying 
out of all his purposes concerning them and us. 
Our affections will not go out so much through 
them to God as through God to them. This is 
the only right and safe way. In loving him we 
love all that is in him and to the degree that it is 
in him. He loves the Lord too little or wrongly 
who loves anything with him which he loves not 
for him. We need a more interior spirit and a 
greater intensity of love, rather than larger out¬ 
ward activities. We must think less of the duty 
to be fulfilled than how we can keep close to God 
while fulfilling it; our hearts should be more en¬ 
grossed with him than our hands with his work. 

There are three main degrees of Love to God: 
first, when we love him in consolations, which is 
very elementary and very liable to delude us, for 
we are very likely to be loving the blessing rather 
than the blesser; the second is when we love him 
in commandments, which is harder, for some of 
his precepts will be very irksome to the flesh; the 
third is when we love him in corrections and casti- 


LOVE DIVINE 


175 


gations, which is best of all, for that means the 
crucifixion of the flesh and the embracing of the 
cross. When trouble becomes to us lovable and 
enjoyable, not simply bearable, because we heartily 
accept God’s will in it, then we may know that we 
perfectly love him. 

As to loving our enemies, that, too, is an indis¬ 
pensable proof that we possess love divine. It 
includes doing them good just so far as we 
can find or make opportunity, and just so far as 
we have time or strength or money that we feel 
at liberty to use in this direction. It includes 
speaking pleasant things of and to them, as well 
as doing pleasant things for them. And it in¬ 
cludes praying for them. These three things 
Jesus expressly enjoins, and his authority is un¬ 
impeachable. We cannot afford, for our own 
sake, to do any differently. How glorious it is 
to have the bird in the bosom sing sweetly! 
Divine love casts out fear, turns duty into delight, 
makes heaven below. 


The man is happy, Lord, who love like this doth show: 
Loves thee, his friend in thee, and, for thy sake, his foe. 


29 


HEAVENLY-MINDEDNESS 

“Heaven” is a convenient, concentrated, sym¬ 
bolic expression for a particular condition of soul, 
a special grade of character. It is a word which 
stands not so much for a definite locality as for 
certain moral qualities. And what those are, the 
infallible Teacher did not leave us in doubt. 
When he said, “Of such is the kingdom of 
heaven,” he pointed to the little ones, making 
them our models. Yet they are not models to 
us in everything, it should be noted, for children 
are ignorant and impulsive, and we are not to be 
that; they are also fickle, changeable, impatient, 
and these things would be reckoned to us for 
faults. Ignorance is not the mother of devotion, 
nor is lack of self-mastery and self-control any¬ 
thing but an evil, provided we have grown up. 
The children are teachable, docile, hungry for 
knowledge, eager to learn from all sources; and 
thus we should be. Children are trustful, unsus¬ 
picious, ready to believe what is told them, full 
of faith in such as are wiser and older than them¬ 
selves. The more of this we have the better. 
Children are simple and sincere, without arti- 

176 


HEAVENLY-MINDEDNESS 


1 77 


ficiality and affectation, open, frank, devoid of 
pretense. There should be more of this in our 
lives, less of double-mindedness and pretext. 

Two thoughts about heaven, Jesus, in the 
prayer which he put on the lips of his disciples, 
impressed upon them forever. He makes it the 
abode of his Father, and also the place where his 
Father’s will is done. The two are one in sub¬ 
stance, for God dwells not with rebels. And the 
two are not to be postponed to another state of 
being, or transferred to celestial regions. God 
dwells in the hearts of his people now; they are 
his temples. For “God is love; and he that abid- 
eth in love abideth in God, and God abideth in 
him.” Love is an essential ingredient in heav- 
enly-mindedness, “love divine,” all earthly 
loves excelling, and leading without fail to an 
obedience to the loved one that knows no limit. 
He who knows and does the will of God always, 
in everything, without reservation or hesitation, 
swiftly, easily, heartily, joyfully, has been brought 
into a large and wealthy place for which the 
proper name is “heaven,” for it is in this way 
that there God’s will is accomplished. We enter 
heaven when we stop all contention, even the 
least and slightest, with heaven’s King. When 
one is perfectly satisfied with all his appointments 
and arrangements, with all his delays and denials, 
what is this but paradise, the inheritance of the 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


178 

saints in light, where there is no darkness at 
all, no night, no tears, no death? Their tears 
God wipes away, their sorrow is turned into 
joy, their sun no more goes down, and the 
days of their mourning are ended. They can¬ 
not die any more, for they are already dead 
unto sin and self, dying with Christ, crucified 
with him on his cross. With him they have risen 
from the grave, so that they live in him and to 
him alone, living the resurrection life of power 
over all evil, and the ascended or heavenly life 
in which they seek the things that are above where 
Christ is, and set their minds no longer on the 
things of earth. This is heavenly-mindedness. 

Heaven has not only dawned upon us but in 
full measure reached us, so far as the essentials 
go, in proportion as love and faith have found 
their largest development, in proportion as we 
have the clear, constant vision of Jesus, and are 
in perfect oneness with the will of God. These 
are the things that count. Doubtless, they do not 
come to us in any absolutely complete way on 
this earth, and hence our association of heaven 
preeminently with a future state of existence is 
correct; but it is not correct, or wholesome, to 
let the word be monopolized by the future, or to 
fix our attention chiefly on mere accessories of a 
spectacular sort, mere physical immunities and 
adjuncts that are of minor consequence. Heaven 


HEAVENLY-MINDEDNESS 


179 


begins for us when we begin to love God and gaze 
into the reconciled face of our Saviour. Heaven 
expands around us and within us in proportion as 
we grow in the knowledge and favor of our heav¬ 
enly Father, in the communion and fellowship 
of the Holy Spirit, ir\ perception of and similarity 
to our Lord Jesus Christ. And if we have yet 
to wait for its supremest meaning until freed 
from the fetters of the body, that need not and 
should not bar us from claiming a glorious por¬ 
tion of it now. Heaven is within us. Many a 
man is sainted although not yet ascended. Holi¬ 
ness is his distinguishing mark. He looks into 
the face of Christ, seeing it distinctly day by day, 
for he has studied that life so closely, come under 
its spell so continually, that its reproduction is 
easy. He stands in the presence of God, for he 
constitutes a part of that presence, God dwelling 
in him and speaking through him. They two 
are so joined that “neither death, nor life, 
. . . things present, nor things to come, . . . 
nor any other creation” can make any separation 
between them. This is heavenly-mindedness. 

It is a mistake to think of the holy city, the 
New Jerusalem, described in such glowing figures 
of speech by the apocalyptic writer, as something 
having little or no relation to this world. We 
are persuaded that it is a symbolic picture of the 
Christian Church in its time of triumph on this 


i8o THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 

earth, and of Christian experience as it may be 
realized any day by those who are willing to 
pay the price and become more than conquerors 
through Him that hath loved them. Former 
things with them have passed away, and all things 
are made new. They drink of the water of life 
and eat of the fruit of the tree that grows on the 
banks of the river. They have no part with that 
which defileth or worketh abomination or maketh 
a lie. They are the bride of the Lamb, and sit 
constantly at the marriage feast. They shine 
with a brightness of which the stars know naught; 
day and night in his presence they serve him and 
sing his praises; they see his face and do not 
sin; they reign with him forever. The material 
imagery of the Oriental poet, so far as it still 
has pertinency for our Western thought, only 
adumbrates the glorious reality to which no lan¬ 
guage can fully do justice, but which our enrap¬ 
tured souls do already in large measure enjoy, 
so far as that mind is in us which was also in 
Christ Jesus, the mind stayed on God and set on 
things above, the mind of heaven. 

While God is mine and I am his, 

Of paradise possessed, 

I taste unutterable bliss 
And everlasting rest. 

Rabbi Jehosha had the skill 
To know that heaven is in God’s will. 


30 


THE LIFE BEYOND 

We have already spoken of the fact that heaven 
in a very important sense, in its essential elements, 
is here and now. Nevertheless, there is, of course, 
a life hereafter, beyond this world, a life eternal, 
in Immanuel's land. There is a place “where 
Christ is,” a place which he told his disciples 
he would prepare for their final abode. What 
should be our attitude toward it, our feeling 
about it? What use can we profitably make of 
it in the deepening of our spirituality, the perfect¬ 
ing of our character? 

It is a test both of our faith and our faithful¬ 
ness. In proportion to the vigor of our faith 
will be the clearness of our sight of the things un¬ 
seen by mortal eye, our realization of the intan¬ 
gible. We may have a faith so strong that there 
will be no more doubt as to the reality of that 
world than of this, no hesitation whatever in 
accepting the intimations concerning it which are 
found in the written Word, no question as to the 
satisfying solidity of its joys, the permanency of 
the rich possessions to which it introduces the 
redeemed. What will give us this faith? Our 

181 


182 THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 

faithfulness to God and duty, our living constantly 
in his presence, our cultivation of those faculties 
which apprehend the things of the Spirit. ‘The 
doctrine of immortality,” it has been well said, 
“is an achievement, and can be present in power 
only as the issue of that spiritual growth whose 
flower and fruit it is to be.” If we would achieve 
certainty about it, we must so live that it alone 
stands as the interpretation and consummation of 
our days. We must habitually cherish such con¬ 
victions in our soul, must breathe such a high 
spiritual atmosphere, must walk so closely with 
the Infinite One, with the heavenly Father, in our 
daily experience that no other outcome of our 
being than its blissful continuance beyond death 
will seem in any way reasonable or possible. 
Such is the only path to perfect peace in this 
matter. How can a man of evil life really be¬ 
lieve in the hereafter? How can he who is liv¬ 
ing wholly, or mainly, or even largely, for this 
passing world obtain or retain a firm hold on the 
fact that there is another world far more impor¬ 
tant, a palace to which this is but a portico ? He 
could not live as he does if he did so believe. His 
choosing that kind of life inevitably deadens or 
destroys his power of belief in anything better 
by and by. We know as to the future what we 
are capable of knowing. If we would know more 
we must be more. If we would see further into the 


THE LIFE BEYOND 


183 

future we must live at a higher elevation. This, 
and not seances or table-movings, or supposed 
materializations of the spirits of the departed, is 
the way to get solid ground under one's feet as 
to the other world. 

Should longings for heaven fill much of our 
thought and time? Not to such an extent as to 
prevent the devotion of all our energies to the 
work assigned us by the Master. Surely not to 
the breeding of the slightest discontent with the 
duration of our tarrying here. Saint Paul’s posi¬ 
tion about it (Phil. 1. 23) would seem to be ideal. 
He keenly appreciated the glorious gain involved 
in the transition to the splendors as yet so imper¬ 
fectly revealed, but he also appreciated fully the 
joy of laboring for Jesus on this earth and increas¬ 
ing the triumphs of the gospel. He was suf¬ 
ficiently unselfish to put aside his own joy in favor 
of the advantage of his converts and others to 
whom he could do still further good. It is cer¬ 
tainly safe to leave the decision as to the best 
time and manner of our death with God, assured 
that it shall be exactly right and need not con¬ 
cern us in the least. It is not natural or possible 
for those in perfect health, in the heyday of 
youth, with the inviting, untried experiences of 
life in this world all before them, to feel about 
another world as they reasonably may who are 
manifestly near it and whose friends are mostly 


i84 THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 

there. Yet at all ages it is wholesome to keep in 
the background of our thought the solemn fact 
that we are pilgrims and strangers on these shores 
of time, and soon to launch forth for a voyage 
to fairer climes. 

The gospel view of death, that it is gain, not 
loss, to the believer, sunrise, not sunset, transi¬ 
tion, not destruction, birth into a higher state of 
being, something to be hailed with joy, not shrunk 
from with horror, is far too rare. Most people, 
as the apostle says, are “all their lifetime subject 
to bondage through fear of death” (Heb. 2. 15), 
not knowing that Christ hath “abolished death 
and brought life and immortality” (2 Tim. 1. 
10). What a pity that they should thus miss, 
through lack of faith, one of their chief joys, the 
deliverance assured to them in Jesus! It is our 
privilege, as Browning says, to “greet the unseen 
with a cheer,” to feel that it well accords with 
“the noonday, the bustle of man’s worktime” to 
think of, and prepare for, and pass to the higher 
work which waits us there. What, indeed, is 
there to fear in death, the foe that the mighty 
Prince of life so effectually conquered, binding 
him to his triumphant chariot wheels? There 
may be the “black minute” of blankness, the tem¬ 
porary inconvenience connected with our passage 
to another world, even as there was connected 
with our entrance into this one, but it will swiftly 


THE LIFE BEYOND 


185 

be over, and then will come a peace, a light, 
hitherto undreamed of, that will far more than 
pay for all. Death should be thought of as a 
gentle, genial angel, God’s kindly messenger sent 
to convey his permission for our release from 
earth tasks, so that we may with shouting hail the 
fact that school is out and we are going home. 
“Not of the clod is the life of God; let it mount 
as it will from form to form.” How strange, 
when we come to think of it, to speak of ourselves 
or our friends as “in danger” when we or they 
draw near the moment of looking into the face 
of our Redeemer. Too many of these phrases, 
born of blind unbelief and saturated with the 
sludge of the senses, are found on the lips of 
those who should give testimony to another 
way of beholding matters. The Christian, when 
he thinks of his own departure or meets with 
bereavement in the case of loved ones, has a 
splendid opportunity to confess his Saviour in 
a way that will deeply impress the ungodly. We 
should prize a victory of this sort, for it will 
greatly honor the King and is exceedingly needed. 

While there is a truth in the oft-repeated re¬ 
mark that dying grace is not given till the dying 
hour, a truth that may fitly and fairly comfort 
some who cling, perhaps unduly, or at least 
dangerously, to this life, and we are, of course, 
not to be impatient for a change of spheres, it 


i86 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


is also true that the Christian who either sorrows 
for others as do those without hope or dreads for 
himself the end of this existence as though he 
were in pagan darkness, brings sad reproach upon 
his profession of allegiance to the Lord and be¬ 
lief in his Word. We should take a confident 
tone. It is in no way inconsistent with a true 
humility as to any worthiness of our own to merit 
paradise. “Our trust is all thrown on Jesus's 
name." Where he is there we shall be also; we 
shall be with him; this right has been bought for 
us, through his favor it has been brought to us, 
and we in rejoicing over it with joy unspeakable 
only do what he has bidden us. We may be of 
good cheer as we launch our barks on the sea of 
eternity, for our Saviour walks upon its waters, 
making them calm, and crying to us, “It is I, 
be not afraid." 

So death has lost its terrors; 

How can we fear it now ? 

Its face, once grim, now leads to Him 
At whose command we bow. 

His presence makes us happy, 

His service our delight, 

The many mansions gleam and glow, 

The saints our souls invite. 


PART V 
THE ACTIVE 


187 









31 


GOOD WORKS 

The age-long controversy over the relative im¬ 
portance of faith and works is an instructive illus¬ 
tration of the pitfalls which beset us in the am¬ 
biguity of words and the futility of theological 
discussion without careful definition of terms. 
That works alone, works without faith and love, 
are insufficient for salvation, are no ground for 
acceptance with God, is perfectly clear. But it 
is equally clear that we cannot be saved without 
works, that a living faith will speedily evidence 
itself in deeds, that a Christian life so devoid of 
gratitude as not to be marked by labor for the 
Lord, is fatally defective. Although we may 
enter into life by faith alone, we certainly cannot 
continue therein without doing good as we have 
opportunity. Our desire to flee from the wrath 
to come, if it be genuine and really fixed in the 
soul, will be shown by its fruits. It would seem 
that there could be no question about this, and that 
the matter, when properly stated, is very simple. 
We are saved by grace, through faith, according 
to our works. 

Are good works the measure of our final re- 

189 


190 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


ward? Yes and no, for here also is a little am¬ 
biguity. To be sure, it is said of the Son of man 
that he shall “reward [or render unto] every 
man according to his deeds.” But this may be 
easily misunderstood as meaning that the amount 
of our service, irrespective of the opportunity and 
motive, is the chief factor in gauging the recom¬ 
pense. This would be a manifest injustice. “The 
gift without the giver is bare.” The widow’s 
mite is more than the magnate’s millions. The 
cup of cold water “in the name of a disciple” is 
worth more than a cup of jewels in the name of 
self-display. “All service ranks the same with 
God,” as Browning says, provided it be filled with 
love and be the best that circumstance allows. 
“Where little is given little is required.” Entire 
faithfulness is what God prizes—not the quantity 
but the quality, not how much but how well. 

There is sometimes a snare in the desire for 
great usefulness. We may think we only seek in 
it to glorify God. But self easily creeps in una¬ 
wares. And when we are laid aside we repine. 
The only safe prayer is, “Make me useful accord¬ 
ing to thy will, not in my way but in thy way.” 
We assent to Milton’s line, “They also serve who 
only stand and wait,” but it is sometimes difficult 
to realize it when loss of eyesight or health or 
property cripples us, and former activities have 
to be abandoned. It is not for us to choose our 


GOOD WORKS 


191 

sphere, limited or large, but to fill to the full its 
possibilities, and rest smilingly content with what 
may seem trivialities when big benefactions are 
denied us. We need to learn, with Wordsworth, 
that the best portion of a good man’s life may 
well be “his little, nameless, unremembered acts 
of kindness and of love.” 

Is there any necessary conflict or incompatibil¬ 
ity between the active and the contemplative life ? 
Need there be any strife as to which is superior? 
Assuredly not. The charge so often made against 
the Quietists and the Mystics, that they lack effi¬ 
ciency in the work of the world, that they are 
dreamers and do-nothings, is based on pure igno¬ 
rance. The facts prove the contrary, as those 
familiar with their lives perfectly know. Cath¬ 
erine of Siena, Madame Guyon, Tauler, Fenelon, 
Fletcher show it; and multitudes of others might 
easily be cited. The idea that bustle and noise 
and nervous explosions are at all essential to ac¬ 
complishment or beneficence is too crude to de¬ 
serve notice. It is the quiet lightning deed, not 
the thunder of vociferation or violence, that brings 
results. And temperamental conditions should 
have no place in the estimate, for God designedly 
makes us of all kinds. Mary is needed as well as 
Martha, Martha as well as Mary. “Who shall 
say which loved the Master best?” There must 
be patient pondering; there must be watchful^ 


192 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


working. Each is good in its way; neither must 
impugn the other. That is best for us to which 
he calls us, be it toil or rest, labor or worship. 

The idea that we can have personally no good 
works, because it is simply God’s power working 
through us, is a mischievous half-truth, a mis¬ 
statement similar to many others that have 
been made on this subject. It is a hair-splitting, 
uncalled-for refinement, sufficiently refuted by 
Christ’s own words bidding his disciples so to let 
their light shine before men “that they may see 
your good works.” And this pregnant command 
has in it much teaching. By its emphasis on the 
publicity of our beneficence it explains and offsets 
the much-misunderstood injunction about not let¬ 
ting the left hand know what the right hand does, 
which was simply meant as a caution against os¬ 
tentation, and was surely not intended to destroy 
the immense benefits which come from our 
example. Our good works must, as a rule, be 
open to the sight of men in order that they may 
be stirred to similar activities, while at the same 
time they must proceed from a desire not for our 
own glory but for God’s. The two things are 
in no way contradictory or inconsistent. Both 
can be compassed. We must blaze abroad our 
connection with Christ, ascribing constantly to 
him the strength and the honor; we must scrupu¬ 
lously refrain from any contrivance or manage- 


GOOD WORKS 


193 


ment to bring ourselves forward in relations with 
the good act, working as zealously in the ranks 
as when in command; and we must take special 
pains to do for Jesus' sake those things most con¬ 
trary to our natural disposition, our personal pre¬ 
ferences. Then it will be seen that God, and 
not we, is at the bottom of it, and his grace will 
be magnified. 

There is pressing need in almost every Chris¬ 
tian life of larger activity, more strenuous service, 
a closer filling out of the days with good deeds. 
It was said of the Master, summing up his career, 
“He went about doing good, for God was with 
him.” Is it said of us? And can God be with 
us on any other basis? “God hath ordained,” 
the apostle says, “that we should walk in good 
works,” that we are to be “fruitful in every 
good work,” “rich in good works,” “zealous 
of good works,” “filled with the fruits of 
righteousness.” We are bidden to “trust in 
the Lord, and do good,” “provoking one an¬ 
other to love and good works.” Scripture is 
very plain and prolific on this head. The 
Master made it exceedingly clear to his followers 
that whatever else was absent from them activity 
for God must be present. “What do ye more 
than others?” was his pointed inquiry. To be 
“workers together with him,” to have a love “in 
deed and in truth” instead of in word and tongue 


194 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


simply, to be “ready for every good word and 
work” are the terse characterizations of genuine 
disciples. 

Solidly superb, splendidly successful, and celes¬ 
tially beautiful, are not extravagant terms in 
which to describe that life, however humble and 
inconspicuous, which is filled from end to end 
with little words for Jesus, little acts of kindness, 
little deeds that bless. He who makes it his one 
business to do good, who seizes promptly the 
small opportunities for usefulness that are con¬ 
stantly recurring, who keeps on steadily day by 
day storing up treasure in heaven, has mastered 
the secret of true happiness and lasting wealth. 
He is a center of holy influence. He is a perpetual 
diffuser of sunshine. He will have a great reward, 
shining as the stars forever and ever. 

Slightest actions often meet the sorest needs, 

For the world wants daily little kindly deeds; 

O, what care and sorrow you may help remove 
With your song and courage, sympathy and love! 


32 


COIN SECRATION 

The consecration which does not include the 
coin is a sham and a fraud. There are few closer 
tests of character than a man’s habits in regard 
to money. His account book is a better index to 
his life than his public professions or even his 
private journal. The amount of trustworthiness 
shown in the management of the funds confided 
to his care, either by God or his fellows, discloses 
at once most effectually just what manner of man 
he is. It may sound harsh to say that most 
Christians are robbers—robbing God, themselves, 
and their fellow men—in the way they deal with 
this matter, but it is hard to make anything else 
of it. We treat God unjustly in the distribution 
of our funds. There is, perhaps, no set purpose 
to defraud him, but it looks as though there was 
very frequently a refusal to think about it lest 
reflection increase responsibility and compel self- 
denial. Conscience is not brought into the case; 
prayer has no real place in it. No rule is adopted, 
no principle is followed; worldly customs control. 
Can anyone seriously affirm that this is the right 
course to take in so important a part of life ? 
i95 


196 THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 

We know of but three possible positions in 
regard to the claims of God upon our property 
and the expenditure of our income. The first is 
that of no proportion, no system, just a careless, 
thoughtless, haphazard, slipshod giving as the 
mood may prompt or the pressure be exerted. 
The second is the scriptural idea of one tenth of 
gross income as the minimum, applicable to nearly 
all cases at least, but giving room for exceptions 
both above and below. The third is some other 
fixed proportion. The last is probably the rarest 
of the three. The first is the common and the 
most shameful. Is there anything to be said in 
defense of it? No. Its prevalence is the reason 
why so many of our churches are in debt, and 
the chariot wheels of our benevolences drag so 
heavily, and such questionable means have to be 
used to replenish the Lord’s treasury. Method 
in giving is imperatively demanded by every con¬ 
ceivable condition and by all the circumstances of 
the case. Orderly prearrangement, careful cal¬ 
culation, foresight, planning, are as indispensable 
for the satisfactory expenditure of money as for 
its acquisition; are as much called for in the sus- 
tentation of God’s cause as in the promotion of 
worldly business. If it is left to impulse and 
caprice, such is human nature that the tendency 
will be in most cases overwhelmingly strong to 
put off this schedule of outlay with a very scanty 


COINSECRATION 


197 


allowance indeed, to give no more than the least 
amount which will suffice to maintain a decent 
standing in the community where we live. All 
experience shows that covetousness is so insidious 
and deadly a sin that it is not safe to leave our¬ 
selves exposed to its attack without the most 
ironclad defense. 

We are completely convinced that tithing is by 
far the best and the only strictly defensible course. 
It seems to us to have ample warrant in the Word 
of God, and also in the dictates of reason. The 
setting apart for God’s especial use of one tenth 
of our property appears to be placed in the Bible 
on the same footing as the setting apart of one 
seventh of our time. In neither case was it im¬ 
plied that the portion not thus set aside was to 
be used selfishly or irreligiously. It would be as 
fair to charge those who especially observe the 
Lord’s Day with denying that all our time is the 
Lord’s as to charge tithers with denying that all 
our property is his. It is wholly a question of dis¬ 
tribution, not at all of ownership. What propor¬ 
tion of my property will it please him that I de¬ 
vote to the more immediate maintenance of his 
worship, the extension of his kingdom, the aiding 
of his poor? Both the prescriptions, that as to 
time and that as to property, antedated the Mosaic 
law, and both have survived, we judge, the repeal 
of that law, being nowhere annulled by Jesus, 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


198 

either by the letter or by the spirit of his words. 
That God approved this practice in the days of 
the past is a very clear indication that he approves 
it now; for it will scarcely be claimed that the 
needs of religious work are less pressing at pres¬ 
ent than they were then, and that a less proportion 
will answer under existing circumstances. 

It is true that we are not under the law but 
under grace; that as Christians we are set free 
from certain minute regulations which were im¬ 
posed upon the followers of Moses. But the 
principle holds good just the same. It is incred¬ 
ible that a Christian should be expected to give 
less than a Jew. It is monstrously mean to use 
our liberty under the gospel as a cloak of covetous¬ 
ness, and take advantage of our freedom to de¬ 
vote nearly everything to self. God treats us as 
adults rather than as children, puts us upon our 
honor instead of subjecting us to a vow, makes 
the support of his cause a matter of love rather 
than of law, shows his confidence in us under this 
latest dispensation by not expressly stipulating 
for one tenth. Shall we be base enough to turn 
all this the wrong way, and seek to skulk out of 
our just obligations, doling out such small 
driblets as may be perfectly convenient and can 
be spared without the slightest trouble? 

There is no danger that we shall give too much, 
or descend into a harmful Judaism. There is 


COINSECRATION 


199 


great danger on the side of worldliness, ambition, 
pride, covetousness, and selfishness, against which 
proportionate giving, setting aside at least one 
tenth of the income, is a wonderful protection. 
The more of it the better. This, surely,, is most 
in accord with the mind of the Master, the spirit 
of the Saviour, who gave himself so lavishly for 
the good of mankind. He who has fully absorbed 
the love of Jesus will regard giving as a privilege 
rather than as an obligation, a delight more than 
a duty, and if he can conscientiously conclude 
that he may, not must, without imperiling any 
other rights, with God’s full sanction, devote this 
ancient proportion of his substance to making 
the world better, his heart will greatly rejoice, 
for the richest possible rewards both temporal 
and spiritual will surely be his. 

Take my silver and my gold; 

Not a mite would I withhold. 

Take myself, and I will be 

Ever, only, all for thee. 


33 

CONVERSATIONAL RELIGION 

Religion does not consist mainly in talking, 
and it is a fault to talk about it incessantly or un¬ 
seasonably ; nevertheless, we firmly believe that he 
who has no religion to speak of is perilously near 
having none at all. That of which the heart is full 
comes often to the tongue, with most people. It 
is natural, and proverbial. Expression intensifies 
feeling and exercises faith. Emotion denied ex¬ 
pression declines, just as fire goes out when all 
vents are shut. Inactivity here indicates and 
encourages inactivity elsewhere and everywhere. 
For lack of exercise strength departs and appetite 
is lost. The muscles of spiritual speech unused 
become rigid, and a sort of lockjaw ensues which 
is premonitory of death not far away. 

He who does not talk about Jesus simply, 
naturally, lovingly, wherever there is any chance 
that it will be understood may well question 
whether he loves his Lord as he ought, and may 
be quite certain that he has missed many oppor¬ 
tunities of doing much good. When Christians 
meet they should much oftener than they do ask 
after each other’s spiritual health and experience 
200 


CONVERSATIONAL RELIGION 


201 


in divine things; the result would be great 
refreshment to the soul and enlargement of the 
heart. “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpen¬ 
ed the countenance of his friend. ,, He can, at 
any rate, quicken his soul; and his own will profit 
by the endeavor. They that fear the Lord should 
speak often one to another about the things they 
count most precious. If religion is steadily 
ignored among those who meet socially or pri¬ 
vately day after day, how is it possible they should 
consider each other to be really in earnest for 
likeness to Jesus? There is pressing need of a 
change of habit in this regard among professing 
Christians. A Christian must be a pipe, open at 
both ends, to receive from Christ and to give 
forth to the world. It is his business to pass on 
the invigorating draught to the thirsty lips that 
wait for it; in other words, to run and tell every 
good thing that he hears from God. “Beware of 
hidings of heavenly tidings.” 

The locking up of spiritual coin is as bad a 
policy in the religious realm as is the locking up 
of material coin in the realm of finance. “Take 
the name of Jesus with you,” is good advice. The 
more that matchless name can sound forth from 
the lips of those that love it the better for the 
world. The little daily discontents and fretful 
frictions that press so heavily on many hearts 
would more frequently be lifted were an upward 


202 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


turn given to thought by the utterance of some 
religious reflection. Not all are equally endowed 
with the happy gift of parlor preaching, which is 
so often more effective than the pulpit sort. But 
even where it does not come easily, and consider¬ 
able study has to be given to make it effective, it 
is well worth while. Wayside seed-dropping will 
yield a large harvest. A passage of Scripture, a 
verse of poetry, a helpful incident let fall may lead 
to much benefit, may start trains of thought and 
of talk whose outcome will be felt in eternity. It 
is certainly ground for reproach against Christian 
people that the ungodly may be in their company 
from one year’s end to the other and never hear 
from them a word of clear testimony or faithful 
warning. 

Many are very much afraid of being thought 
Pharisaic, or seeming to set themselves up as being 
better than their neighbors. “Unobtrusive piety” 
is a favorite phrase with them. They act as 
though ashamed of emotion, if not, indeed, 
ashamed of their Saviour. They can stand any¬ 
thing but to be deemed singular or peculiar. To 
please men is the very breath of their nostrils. 
So they hide their spiritual life (what little there 
is of it) behind a cloak of unseemly, persistent 
silence and stiff forbidding reserve. Their 
attitude suggests—does it not convict them of ?— 
moral cowardice. Their light is so carefully con- 


CONVERSATIONAL RELIGION 


203 


cealed under a bushel that it will be pretty certain 
to go out altogether. They do not provoke others 
unto love and good works lest the others should 
not like it but be provoked in a different sense. 
It is possible to be fervent yet not forward, 
aggressive but not repulsive, courageous while 
not conceited. To avoid a failure in charity 
there is no need of laxity in principle. By the 
memories of blessing which have come to us from 
the holy words of others, and by our hope of being 
“confessed” one day before the throne of God, let 
us not fail to enter these small doors of useful¬ 
ness that swing open at our side moment by 
moment; let us not fail to send forth on their 
mission of mercy the gold and silver coins of 
right words, wherever minted, that shall make 
many a poor soul rich. 

There is a time to keep silence, no doubt, as 
well as a time to speak. We should hold our 
tongue when God rebukes us, opening not our 
mouths because he does it, he who loves us so 
dearly and cannot mean us harm; we should keep 
silence when men provoke us, silence is the best 
water bucket for hot tempers; we should be chary 
of talk when learning allures us, learning human 
or divine, for little knowledge will come unless we 
are quiet enough to take it in; we should put our 
hand on our mouth when tempted to disparage 
another; even the hearing of evil speech without 


204 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


remonstrance or a defense of the absent or a 
determined effort to change the topic is clearly a 
sin, for the receiver is as bad as the thief. But 
we should speak out boldly when words will 
cheer, or warn, or witness for truth and right. 
Humanity needs brightening up almost always, 
needs admonishing sometimes, needs a plain testi¬ 
mony in behalf of purity and virtue and the rights 
of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is by the word of 
our testimony, as well as by the blood of the 
Lamb, that we are to overcome: 

Take my lips, and let them be 
Filled with messages from thee. 

Take my voice, and let me sing 
Always, only, for my King. 

A little word in kindness spoken, 

A motion or a tear, 

Has often healed a heart that’s broken 
And made a friend sincere. 

Then deem it not an idle thing 
A pleasant word to speak; 

The face you wear, the thought you bring, 

A heart may heal or break. 


34 


PIETY IN THE HOME 

Probably no one doubts that genuine religion 
will make itself felt without fail in the family, 
and that the family offers an especially fruitful 
and important field for its exercise. Home is 
surely a place where the beauty and excellence of 
Christianity can be most powerfully illustrated. 
It is Christianity that has made the home what 
it is; and the sort of piety just suited to the home 
is the sort that everywhere accredits itself. This, 
because true religion is the mortal foe of selfish¬ 
ness, and unselfishness nowhere has a better 
chance to exhibit its power than where there is 
much occasion for friction, where the daily adjust¬ 
ment of conflicting plans and interests must be 
constantly studied at close quarters, where there is 
such continual opportunity in a thousand little 
things to deny self and show kindness to others. 
To brace oneself for a great effort coming very 
rarely is much easier than to be always ready for 
the countless small efforts called for by the 
familiar intercourse of the family. This latter 
readiness proves the possession of a permanent 
fund of grace much more than does the ability to 
205 


206 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


rise to some special exigency under strong stimu¬ 
lation. 

Very common, alas, is the piety which fails 
under the household test. Many a wife would 
need to go to the prayer meeting to learn that her 
husband enjoys entire sanctification. Many a 
husband would be surprised could he hear the 
professions his wife makes with glowing face, 
in some esoteric circle. And the children—those 
sharp-witted observers, whose keen instincts 
quickly apprehend the difference between reality 
and pretense—if only at meetings could they sus¬ 
pect that their parents have “entered the valley of 
blessing so sweet,” if only by the church record 
could they know that father and mother have 
“renounced the world, the flesh, and the devil,” 
then the power of this trinity of evil over their 
young minds will not be greatly shaken by any 
number of exhortations and admonitions. A con¬ 
sistent example is better than all the wise pre¬ 
cepts that ever were spoken. For the children’s 
sake, because of the undying effect it will have on 
their plastic minds, the religion of the home must 
be of the purest type. It must be of the sort that 
naturally recognizes the Headship of Christ at the 
table in a few well-chosen words of thanks for 
the supply of bodily necessities; of the sort that 
still further recognizes that Headship in a brief 
season of prayer and Scripture reading, with a 


PIETY IN THE HOME 


207 


hymn if possible, at morning or night. Better 
might the family meal be omitted than the family 
worship. The literature on the center table also, 
and the pictures on the walls, have a great influ¬ 
ence in controlling the atmosphere, making it 
spiritual or otherwise, and affecting results in the 
line of high character. The tone of conversation, 
the attitude toward the church and the minister, 
the manner in which the topics of the day are 
discussed, the gossip, which, surely, need not be 
uncharitable, but often is—all this, and much 
more that might be specified, how closely it 
touches the foundations of influence, how cer¬ 
tainly, although unconsciously, it molds the life 
of the young! 

Then again, the mutual relations of husband 
and wife—how deeply and continually they are 
affected by the nature of their piety! The reason 
why thoroughly happy homes, homes of complete 
harmony and constant sunshine, are so few is 
found mainly in the fact that if the two partners 
are Christians at all, they are so only in a nominal 
way, not in a way that penetrates to the roots of 
being. Such Christianity, superficial and formal, 
will not set people to praying in earnest, “Lord, 
make me easy to live with.” The art of living 
together is both a fine art and a most useful one ; 
nothing more so. It is considerably complex and 
decidedly difficult. It involves much thought- 


208 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


fulness, the putting of oneself in the place of 
another, the constant surrender of one’s own will. 
It includes the long and by no means simple 
process by which dissimilar temperaments, trained 
in somewhat dissimilar surroundings, are grad¬ 
ually assimilated. They who would master this 
art must learn to give up individual rights in the 
interest of the domestic community, must avoid 
stock subjects of disputation and unnecessary 
criticism of each other’s methods, must freely 
allow large liberty in personal details, not insist¬ 
ing that there is only one way to do things; must 
not expect too much of others, keeping in mind 
the fact that they themselves make large demands 
on patience. Familiarity must not be allowed to 
swallow up courtesy. Nor must one think that 
love alone is sufficient to make a model home. 
Brains must be carefully mixed with it; common 
sense must have sway; affection must be guided 
by intelligence. Little attentions, pleasant words 
of cheer and commendation, the wisdom that 
comes from constant watchfulness—how impor¬ 
tant are these! And the best sort of religion will 
compass these. 

The family, rightly estimated and regulated, 
is truly a church, a branch of the church universal, 
whose intercourse is Christian communion, whose 
meals are sacraments, whose life is a divine 
service, a little part of the kingdom of God, and 


PIETY IN THE HOME 


209 


its aim the establishment of that kingdom every¬ 
where. There is such a thing as domestic phi¬ 
lanthropy, within the reach of multitudes who 
imagine themselves shut out from any worthy 
career, but who are overlooking this which lies 
at their feet and is the most important of all. 
It is a sphere not glittering with meretricious 
attractions but sure to be crowned with most 
substantial rewards, and yielding more solid satis¬ 
faction and genuine comfort than all the brilliant 
trophies which misplaced ambition tires itself 
to win. Household religion brightens the eye, 
sweetens the voice, delivers from worry, checks 
the hasty word, alters the impatient tone, makes 
the brow smoother, the heart happier, and the 
home a paradise. A truly Christian marriage, 
entered into reverently and discreetly, not frac¬ 
tional but integral, where the love of the wooing 
days is carried over into the wedded days, will 
be a help not a hindrance to every right principle 
and purpose, an aid to the cultivation of genuine 
religion. A home so constituted is as good a 
type of heaven as is seen on earth. Upon it rests 
the light of God’s constant smile. In it dwell 
constantly true happiness and lasting peace. Its 
joys are pure, abundant, and abiding. It will be 
not only the dearest place on earth but the most 
sacred, the best nursery of the church, the grand¬ 
est glory of the nation. 


210 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


O happy home, where thou art loved the dearest, 
Thou loving Friend and Saviour of our race, 

And where among the guests there never cometh 
One who can hold such high and honored place. 

O happy home, where each one serves thee, lowly, 
Whatever his appointed task may be, 

Till every common task seems great and holy, 

When it is done, O Lord, as unto thee! 

O happy home, where two in heart united 
In holy faith and blessed hope are one, 

Whom death a little while alone divideth, 

And cannot end the union here begun. 

O happy home, where thou art not forgotten 
When joy is overflowing, full, and free; 

O happy home, where every wounded spirit 
Is brought, Physician, Comforter, to thee,— 

Until at last, when earth’s day’s work is ended. 

All meet thee in the blessed home above, 

From whence thou earnest, where thou hast ascended, 
Thy everlasting home of peace and love. 


35 


A SHINING LIGHT 

It is well to study great examples. They con¬ 
vey instruction and stimulation. The life of Jesus 
Christ has transformed the world. Multitudes of 
millions have been immeasurably benefited by the 
words and deeds of Saint Paul. Standing next 
in line we put John Wesley. We question if any¬ 
one in all the world’s history has surpassed him 
in the completeness of the dedication of himself 
to God, in unselfish, unswerving, whole-hearted 
devotion to duty. He was a conspicuous example 
of that extremely rare thing, a thoroughly con¬ 
sistent Christian. To be like Christ, to think 
Christ’s thoughts, to speak Christ’s words, to carry 
out Christ’s plans, to do Christ’s will, was the 
one grand ambition of his life. With him every¬ 
thing centered around that. Everything about 
him can be explained on that basis, and on no 
other. When he had once said “I ought”—and 
he was ever eager to know what that word 
covered in his case—he went on straightway to 
say “1 can, and I will.” And he not only repeated 
those mighty monosyllables, he immediately did 
what they pointed to. That was the peculiarity 


2 11 


212 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


of his piety. It did not expend itself in fine 
phrases, or pharisaic professions, or belligerent 
dogmatics, or even rapturous hallelujahs—it 
forthwith translated itself into deeds. And that 
is the kind of religion which is least likely to 
deceive either oneself or other people. 

He made religion the one business of his life, 
counting it the only necessity and all things else 
secondary. Simplicity of intention and purity of 
affection were paramount with him from an early 
period. He loved God and his fellow men with 
undivided aim and with most self-denying dili¬ 
gence. He always abounded in the work of the 
Lord. No one could be more sincere, more 
earnest, more devoted. He was Christ-centered 
and God-intoxicated, filled with an all-consuming 
zeal to do good, an overmastering passion for 
the divine glory. He had but one aim, one pur¬ 
pose, and he swept aside whatever stood in the 
way of carrying it out. Money, ease, leisure, 
safety, reputation, honor—he put his foot upon 
them all. “Leisure and I,” he wrote, “have 
taken leave of one another. I purpose to be busy 
as long as I live.” “Up and be doing!” was his 
frequent cry. “I believe in eternity, I must arise 
and go.” So he tarried not in any of the pleasant 
retreats that invited him, but pressed ever on. 
“Live to-day,” was one of his favorite salutations 
to his friends in the morning. And if ever man 


A SHINING LIGHT 


213 


heeded his own injunction it was he. Every day 
was spent as though he knew it would be his last. 
“The moments fly,” he said, “and must be 
accounted for.” 

He made himself of no reputation, made him¬ 
self poor, imperiled, heavily burdened, servant of 
all, lowest of all, that he might by all means save 
some and finish the work that the Father gave him 
to do. His heart yearned over the neglected 
masses who were perishing without the gospel. 
He went forth as the good shepherd did, seeking 
the lost. He became the greatest open-air 
preacher England has ever seen, reaching the 
largest numbers, for the longest periods of time, 
and producing the most marvelous effects. He 
had in him such an inspiration of Christian faith 
and love, such a forgetfulness of himself in his 
theme, that he was able to set forth the truth with 
an overwhelming power that brought men into 
the immediate presence of God. 

He was thoroughly unselfish, wholly un¬ 
worldly, with a serene trust in Providence that 
nothing had power to disturb. This made him 
cheerful under all circumstances and thankful 
for everything. “I dare no more fret,” he said, 
“than curse and swear.” “By the grace of God 
I never fret, I repine at nothing, I am discon¬ 
tented with nothing. I see God sitting upon his 
throne and ruling all things well. Ten thousand 


214 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


cares of various kinds are no more weight or 
burden to my mind than ten thousand hairs are 
to my head.” “If we see God in all things and 
do all for him, then all things are easy.” He 
found them so. He possessed a perfect antidote 
to trouble. He had no use for “sour godliness,” 
calling it “the devil’s religion.” He kept those 
about him in good humor. Children loved him. 
He was never low-spirited, never idle. He comes 
as near to being a model in point of industry as 
mortal man can well be. He appreciated the value 
of time, the importance of system, the need of 
punctuality, and the relation of all to eternity. 
He had stated hours for every purpose, and his 
only relaxation was a change of employment. 
He said, “Though I am always in haste I am 
never in a hurry, because I never undertake any 
more work than I can get through with perfect 
calmness of spirit.” He did everything deliber¬ 
ately because he had no time to spend in going 
over it again. To one who asked him how he 
got through so much work in so short a time he 
answered, “Brother, I do one thing at a time, and 
I do it with all my might.” That was Wesley! 
Exactness, singleness of eye, concentration, tire¬ 
less, indefatigable exertion, from beginning to 
end. 

His religion included politeness and tact. He 
was considerate for others’ feelings, a true gentle- 


A SHINING LIGHT 


215 


man, always courteous, noble, magnanimous. He 
had magnificent courage and perfect calmness in 
times of danger. His independence as a thinker 
and his glorious catholicity of spirit were equally 
marked. “Think and let think” was one of his 
mottoes. “I desire to have a league, offensive 
and defensive, with every soldier of Christ.” He 
promptly recognized and heartily applauded gen¬ 
uine goodness wherever it existed, under what¬ 
ever banner it was enrolled. “I have no more 
right to object to a man for holding a different 
opinion from me than I have to differ with him 
because he wears a wig and I wear my own hair.” 

He had great power and vast authority, but he 
exercised it for no personal end. “I bear it as 
my burden,” he says; “I dare not lay it down.” 
He aimed with all his might to build up the king¬ 
dom of God, this, and this only, and he was more 
than willing at all times to do himself twice as 
much as he required of others. The preachers 
under him were profoundly convinced of this, and 
hence they gladly obeyed him. The unbounded 
deference they paid to his will was built on the 
unshaken confidence they felt in his goodness, and 
the deep reverence they had for his character, 
for the transparent simplicity of his life as well 
as the matchless quality of his genius. He ruled 
them by love, because love so fully ruled him. 

He took the world for his parish, and the world 


216 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


has taken him for its peerless leader. His life 
was the logical outcome of his principles, and is 
one of the greatest gifts yet made by God to the 
church universal. His example furnishes a most 
powerful incentive to all. The more it is 
examined the more it shines. By as much as it 
comes nearer to our own times than that of those 
who flourished in the early centuries it can speak 
more directly to our hearts. We cannot do as 
much as he, but we may do as well, may make our 
lives equally as successful in the highest sense 
of that word. We may be as faithful to the grace 
given, and meet as fully the requirements of the 
Lord. We may show the same spirit, pursue the 
same purpose, and reach the same “well done” at 
last; for equal faithfulness to duty brings equal 
praise from the Most High, in spite of very 
unequal results due to unequal advantages. 

Whether we climb, whether we plod, 

Space for one task the scant years lend, 

To choose some path that leads to God, 

And keep it to the end. 


36 


PHYSICAL, MENTAL, SPIRITUAL 

The close connection of these distinct depart¬ 
ments of our one complex, inseparable personality 
is not yet fully understood by all. Not all com¬ 
prehend that the observance or neglect of physical 
and mental laws profoundly affects the spiritual 
life, while spiritual conditions have very large 
influence on both body and mind. Vigorous cor- 
porosity, intellectual clarity, religious charity— 
each helps the other. Man is a unit. What 
impairs or repairs one part impairs or repairs all. 
How we think and feel and will and choose and 
pray and praise depends no little upon the red 
running of the blood and the texture of the 
muscles. Paleness, so far from being an essential 
part of piety, is an impediment. When the body 
is weakest it makes the spirit the most trouble. 
It obeys the best when it does not need any special 
consideration and can most readily be forgotten. 
Hence to be well is near akin to being good, and 
all available health is a duty, all avoidable sick¬ 
ness a sin. Not a single divine law, whether laid 
on body, mind, or soul, can be broken with im¬ 
punity. Obedience at one point aids obedience at 
217 


2l8 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


all others. Hence among the prime requisites to 
success in saintliness must be careful attention to 
“the earthen vessel” in which is contained the 
heavenly treasure, a jealous watchfulness over 
the “temple” which the Lord condescends to use 
for his dwelling place. 

If we were asked, in the interests of high godli¬ 
ness, to give three rules about health, we think 
they would be these: i. Look after little things. 
It pays to take much pains in this matter. It is 
foolish, also wicked, to run needless risks with 
so valuable a trust. A person has no more right 
to commit suicide slowly than quickly. To die 
for a great cause, or in the discharge of manifest 
duty, is noble; to die when the machine of the 
body is fairly and necessarily worn out is natural; 
but to die twenty or forty years before one’s time 
through carelessness or shiftlessness, inertia or 
ignorance, is pitiable and blamable. 2. Keep a 
good margin. Do not let the stock of vitality run 
low or get drawn upon till there is little or no 
supply available for the emergencies which are 
liable at any time to spring up. Do not overwork. 
Maintain a reserve force that will answer special 
strains. By well regulated habits as to diet, exer¬ 
cise, cleanliness, and sleep keep in tiptop condi¬ 
tion. See that the fortifications against disease 
and destruction are in good repair. 3. Avoid all 
friction. Obtain and retain that perfect peace, 


PHYSICAL, MENTAL, SPIRITUAL 219 

that unfaltering trust, which means the absence 
of all anxiety. Worry wears out multitudes, and 
they die a sinful death because it is perfectly pre¬ 
ventable by that faith in the divine Fatherhood 
which every Christian is entitled to as a part of 
his birthright. Fretting and fussing carry demor¬ 
alization and devastation through all the compli¬ 
cated structure of our being. Many an illness 
would be rendered impossible by the absence of 
fear and flurry and solicitude, the presence of 
that cheerfulness and buoyancy which belongs to 
the believer. 

A trained intelligence also makes for added 
piety. For one thing, it knows how to use liter¬ 
ature as a means of grace. It finds in books a 
priceless benefit. It meets, set down upon the 
printed page, manifold suggestions which other 
travelers on the pilgrim path have left recorded 
for our instruction. Even the Bible yields twice 
as much to the man with cultivated brains, who 
can keep himself from the errors and blunders, 
the fads and hobbies, into which “the unlearned 
and unstable” are prone to fall. Knowledge 
is power. A cultivated mind has an immense 
advantage in its ability to concentrate atten¬ 
tion, to follow a course of reasoning, to fix 
the wavering will, to reach results. To secure 
success, to get near the top in spiritual matters 
as well as in temporal, there must be three 


220 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


P’s—Panting, Planning, and Pushing; in other 
words, a strong desire, a wise method, and 
a vigorous volition. Mental culture will pro¬ 
vide these qualities, and therefore will promote 
piety. A sound intelligence, breadth of view, 
grasp of thought, keenness of perception are 
invaluable aids to the competency and suf¬ 
ficiency of life in all its parts or tracts, the godly 
part no less than the secular. The perfection of 
the whole man is absolutely dependent on the per¬ 
fection of each separate constituent part. What¬ 
ever detracts at any point detracts from the sum 
total. No one who is on the stretch for highest 
holiness, especially no one who wishes to make 
his life not merely good but good for something, 
good for as much as possible, can afford to despise 
or neglect the corporeal and the intellectual phases 
of piety. He will feel, with Saint Paul, that to 
sing and pray just right he must sing and pray 
“with the spirit and with the understanding also.” 
And the same wise direction applies to all phases 
of activity; to preaching, for instance, and to 
giving, to believing, and worshiping, and working. 
Christ’s direction, to worship “in spirit and in 
truth,” covers much the same ground, shows the 
same two essential sides. Good intention is not 
enough; right execution must also come in. 
Earnest endeavor is praiseworthy; a pure purpose 
is admirable even when there is little light, but 


PHYSICAL, MENTAL, SPIRITUAL 221 

unless there be truth as well as sincerity, reality 
as well as honesty, great loss must ensue. Error 
will work out its evil fruits, will carry its curse, 
even if it be honestly held. There must be con¬ 
formity to fact or harm is done. And precisely 
the same principle holds good in the largest con¬ 
ceivable realm of Christian living—as cannot be 
too often insisted on. The straight aim of the 
actor and the right finish of the action must alike 
be kept in view, and except as both are united the 
result is unsatisfactory, deficient, imperfect. The 
loyal Christian is not the ideal Christian, may, 
indeed, be very far below that immaculate stand¬ 
ard because the eyes of his understanding have 
not been enlightened and he is still floundering in 
the bogs of misapprehension. Many most excel¬ 
lent people are babes in knowledge, in compre¬ 
hending the Scriptures, in acquaintance with the 
doings of God through the ages, not blessed with 
good judgment, not trained to discern the fitness 
of things, unskillful in detecting the finer shades 
of righteousness, unconsciously biased by their 
own interest or their early associations. 

So, again we say, he who would do the most 
and be the most for the Master must aim at an 
all-round development, must love the Lord with 
his mind as well as with his heart, with his phys¬ 
ical strength as well as with his intellectual ability. 
He will cleanse himself from all filthiness of the 


222 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


flesh and spirit, he will present his soul and body 
a living, acceptable sacrifice to God. No part must 
be overlooked. There is scope in this blessed 
religion of ours for all that there is of us to be 
developed to the fullest possible extent, as we 
steadily approximate our goal, “a full-grown man, 
unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of 
Christ.” 


Four things a man must learn to do 
If he would make his record true: 

To think without confusion clearly; 

To love his fellow-men sincerely; 

To act from honest motives purely; 

To trust in God and heaven securely. 

Anew we pledge ourselves to Thee, 

To follow where Thy truth shall lead; 
Afloat upon its boundless sea, 

Who sails with God is safe indeed. 


37 


HELPFUL RULES 

Should there be rules in religion? We say, 
Yes. A perfectly holy life is the result of careful 
planning and ceaseless watching; of deliberate, 
determined, systematic effort. This is the way 
all important things are compassed. Method and 
perseverance are of as great value in acquiring 
right habits as in acquiring material riches. The 
character which shows consummate serenity and 
ease of movement or symmetrical development 
has usually been built up by long, patient continu¬ 
ance in welldoing. It is only by strict attention 
to rule for a good while that one reaches a place 
where rules can be dispensed with, and what 
seems like spontaneous goodness be exhibited. 
Daniel’s regularity in prayer had much to do with 
his reliability in an emergency. The spirit, no 
doubt, is more than the form, but in most cases 
it needs the form, even as the containing cask is 
necessary to the preservation of the precious 
liquid. We append, therefore, in compact com¬ 
pass, a score or more of simple rules which have 
been proved helpful in the conduct of the Chris¬ 
tian life. 


223 


224 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


Make everything—even the smallest matters, 
and the hardest—a means of spiritual improve¬ 
ment. They will either help or hinder our growth 
in grace. Aim not so much to get rid of troubles, 
as to get rich by them; they cannot be spared. 

Extend, in your thought, the scope of God's 
will to the more minute matters of momentary 
occurrence, and insist on an increasingly exact 
conformity to that will in your life. This will 
furnish a magnificent and practically inexhaustible 
field for progress. 

Steadfastly aim to have always more humble 
thoughts of yourself, more kindly thoughts of 
your fellow men, and more trustful thoughts of 
God. 

Pick out a few of the very finest, richest hymns, 
and repeat them daily, drawing from them new 
sweetness and strength with each repetition. Or 
use one for a whole week, until it is wholly com¬ 
mitted and absorbed; then select another for the 
following week. 

Take some single great truth, or text, or coup¬ 
let, and see how perfectly you can embody it in 
your life for a single day. 

With the hours as they strike, with the trains as 
they go, with the horses as they pass, connect 
some holy thought, some pious ejaculation, which 
shall the closer join you to God. Let everything 
you see lead you to the Lord. 


HELPFUL RULES 


225 


Prove the preciousness of Jesus, and test your 
attachment to him, when you cannot do extraor¬ 
dinary things for him, by doing the common 
things, more especially one thing each day, with 
an uncommon amount of love thrown into it, and 
a very particular purpose to please him perfectly 
in it. 

Take time to be holy, for holiness cannot come 
otherwise, nor can time be better spent than in this 
direction; but one exceedingly profitable way to 
take it is by using in meditation and aspiration 
those scraps and shreds of time which are so 
frequently lost or wasted, but may be turned to 
excellent account by letting the soul stream up 
to God in prayer or praise. 

Be silent concerning the wrongs and slights and 
contempts you meet with. Brooding over them, 
or seeking comfort from others, is weakness, and 
pretty apt to do harm. 

When temptations come do not stop to attack 
them directly, but simply look away to Jesus, and 
pass on to your work. Replace the evil thoughts 
with good ones; the less attention the dogs get 
the quicker they will stop barking. 

Aim to be a symmetrical Christian. It is true 
you cannot equally excel in all directions, but you 
can correct your main deficiencies, and this is a 
large part of life’s task. 

Arrange to get a full spiritual meal from suit- 


226 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


able devotional exercises, every day, if possible. 
If this cannot be compassed, make sure, at least, 
that Sunday furnishes it, lest the soul utterly 
starve. 

Take all things from God, and do all things for 
him; it is the only way to lead a truly sacred life. 

Pause a second before taking any action, to 
make sure that you are in just the right spirit, in 
close touch with the Master, and seeking primarily 
his glory. 

Form the habit of using pen or pencil in your 
devotional reading, to concentrate thought, to 
formulate purpose, to preserve materials for sub¬ 
sequent review. 

Cultivate a devout practice of speech, avoiding 
those careless, current expressions which shut out 
the active agency of God in affairs, whether it be 
the weather or the changes usually attributed to 
“luck,” “chance,” and “fortune,” good or bad. 
It is a pity to lose the opportunity for practical 
witnessing and glorifying God with our lips. 

Be found as little as propriety allows in circles 
where Christ is not named, and where the tone of 
your spiritual life will inevitably be lowered. 
Seek companionship with those who will aid you 
in better living, or whom you can aid. 

Guard diligently, vigilantly against leakage in 
spiritual strength and religious resources. It is 
lack of attention to little things—all of them 


HELPFUL RULES 


227 


slight and seemingly insignificant when taken 
separately, but mighty in combination—which 
brings in the tides of indifference and death. 

Keep open the channel of supply from above— 
believing prayer—so that the nutrition of the soul 
may be always going on. 

Watch not your superficial feelings, which 
vary with bodily conditions, but watch the indi¬ 
cations of God’s will, and the promptness with 
which you follow them, for this latter is the test 
of your spiritual progress. 

Build your happiness on the unchanging God, 
if you would lift it above earthly casualties; and 
use the test of uninterrupted happiness to indicate 
to yourself and others whether you are leaning 
on the creature or the Creator. 

Trust to the Lord to hide thee, 

Wait on the Lord to guide thee, 

So shall no ill betide thee 
Day by day. 

Rise with his fear before thee, 

Tell of the love he bore thee, 

Sleep with his shadow o’er thee, 

Day by day. 


J 




























PART VI 
MATURITY 


229 






































38 


COMPLETE CHRISTLIKENESS 

Complete Christlikeness is the Christian’s 
ideal, the goal toward which he must press. It 
is the one standard which the true Christ-lover 
will ever set before him; nor will he be content 
unless he is continually realizing greater degrees 
of approximation to it. It is the one thing in 
earth and heaven most worthy of effort. To have 
an insatiable thirst for it, to be ever on the 
stretch after it, is our only permissible attitude. 
This is the most important study. This is the 
finest of the fine arts. This is the main work of 
life. This is our chief task, to take the natural 
elements of our character and by bringing them 
into close, permanent contact with Jesus get them 
so purified and mellowed, so ennobled and sub¬ 
limated, that the grossness and dross shall depart 
while the excellence remains. There can be no 
doubt as to its being the divine purpose that we 
should have the mind of Christ, that we should 
be conformed to the image of the Son of God, 
that we should put on the Lord Jesus, and have 
him live in us. Nor can there be any doubt as 
to the supreme satisfaction thus, and thus only, 
231 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


232 

to be attained. It pays a thousand, nay, a million¬ 
fold; it pays as nothing else in this world can 
possibly do. 

We hasten, then, to inquire what steps must 
be taken, what rules adopted, if this superlative 
excellence is to be reached or largely approached. 
In the first place, there must be strong desire, 
deep hunger and thirst after it. Without this we 
shall not get it. And whatever increases this 
aids us mightily in the struggle. What will do 
it? The more we know the Lord the more we 
shall long to be like him. The more we are with 
him the more we shall know him. Much prayer 
and meditation, much reading of the Bible, much 
mingling with those that are red hot in devotion 
so as to get heated ourselves by the contact—this 
is the way. It takes time to be holy. The process 
cannot be greatly hastened. It is mainly a matter 
of assimilation. We become transformed into 
the image of Jesus “from glory to glory,” when, 
“with unveiled face,” unclosed eye, undiverted 
mind, and unwavering will, we behold his glory. 
We come thus to take his point of view, to acquire 
his habit of mind, to catch his tone, to adopt his 
policy, to imitate his ways. His words sink into 
our soul, his plans take full possession of us, his 
inmost purposes become our own, and, scarcely 
conscious of the process, we find ourselves merged 
into his being, copies of his character. 


COMPLETE CHRISTLIKENESS 


233 


Full of wisdom in this pursuit is the counsel 
given by Paul to his Colossian converts: “As ye 
have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so 
walk ye in him.” How did we receive Christ? 
By forsaking all of our sins so far as we saw or 
knew them, by surrendering ourselves to the full 
extent of the light at that time accorded as to 
what such surrender comprised. It was a sur¬ 
render which included repentance and faith, or 
giving up ourselves and trusting him for the 
acceptance of what we gave. Such must continue 
to be the method right along to the end. An 
ever fuller surrender, an ever deepening conse¬ 
cration, an ever growing faith—that is the master 
key to the whole business of becoming Christlike. 
The entire work of purification or empowerment 
and perfecting cannot be done for the sinner at 
once when he first comes to God, simply because 
his knowledge at that time is necessarily so 
defective. His knowledge will steadily increase 
throughout his life if so be he faithfully presses 
on, and he will keep discovering from time to 
time things to be given up which he did not see 
before; his conscience will get increasingly sensi¬ 
tive, his mind increasingly informed, his vision 
clearer; larger and larger disclosures will be made 
to him of that exceeding abundance which God 
is able to do for him and in him. And thus as he 
grows in knowledge he will grow in love, in faith, 


234 THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 

in holiness of heart and life. Thus the Christian 
life is one from beginning to end, not marred by 
withholding from God or deliberate disobedience 
at any stage, but wonderfully changed as the 
years go on in the degree of knowledge attained, 
knowledge and that which to the loyal heart 
necessarily flows from it. 

Not only must the sensibilities be aroused in 
intense desire, not only must the intellect be 
informed as to what the Christian’s ideal is; 
there is need also of a most vigorous and vehe¬ 
ment forthputting of the will if great results are 
to be reached. Tenacity and persistency come in. 
There are great obstacles to be overcome. The 
top is not attained in any line of endeavor without 
boldness and force. The gaining of complete 
Christlikeness is no holiday affair. Only they 
can succeed in it who are in the class of the 
heroes and martyrs. The path is not easy. It 
is something to enlist all our capacities and 
absorb all our powers. A deep enthusiasm for 
religion, a passion for piety is far from com¬ 
mon. Not many are willing to pay the price of 
supreme excellence; they will not take the enor¬ 
mous pains that are requisite. It is not a matter 
that can be done on the jump, and finished at a 
spurt, or very much hurried. Emotional crises— 
blessings, baptisms, outpourings—have their 
place, they are to be watched for and welcomed 


COMPLETE CHRISTLIKENESS 


235 


as important helps, but he who depends upon 
them and trusts in them as the chief essential will 
fall far short. There must be constant enlarge¬ 
ment of the ideal, and then a progressive realiza¬ 
tion of the ideal thus formed. Only by careful, 
persevering, painstaking examination and study 
can we reach a definite comprehension of just 
what Christ would do were he here in our place 
to-day. We must transpose the melody of his 
life into the key of our own times without impair¬ 
ing its beauty. Our task is not the copying of 
a pattern but the infusion of a spirit, which is 
much more difficult. The same filial dependence 
on God, the same unwavering trust in the Father, 
the same calmness in awaiting the exact time for 
action, the same heavenly-mindedness, the same 
deep compassion for the sufferings of men, the 
same intense devotion to ministry and works of 
love, the same unbroken obedience, prayerfulness, 
and faith that were in him, are to be repeated in 
us; but the forms in which these high qualities will 
find manifestation cannot be absolutely the same 
in any two individuals. 

An absolute completion of the processes by 
which we become wholly like the Master, so that 
we reproduce him perfectly, is not to be looked 
for. No sane man expects it. The goal must 
keep ahead of us. It is a happy thing for us that 
it does, ever beckoning us to attainments, giving 


236 THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


us something to live for. There is thus provision 
for endless progress. But the lack which perpet¬ 
ually confronts us detracts not at all from our 
perpetual bliss, provided we are continually con¬ 
scious that there is all the time absolute loyalty 
to the Master, perpetual willingness to do all his 
will. The life becomes thus a constant repetition 
of the simple formula, Trust and obey, obey and 
trust. There is from the beginning a consecra¬ 
tion or surrender up to the full measure of pres¬ 
ent light; and then, as further knowledge arrives, 
there is further consecration with its accompany¬ 
ing trust; and so the good work goes on, deepen¬ 
ing, broadening, spreading, the light ever increas¬ 
ing toward the perfect day when we shall know 
as we are known, see him face to face, and 
become fully like him, completely changed into 
his glorious image. 

O Jesus Christ, grow thou in me, 

And all things else recede! 

My heart be daily nearer thee, 

From sin be daily freed. 


39 


CAN WE BE PERFECT? 

Alas for him who sets a limit to his devotion, 
and is afraid he shall be too good, or counts it a 
matter of indifference whether he is very good or 
not. Alas for him also who prematurely con¬ 
cludes that the processes of inward crucifixion are 
absolutely complete, needing no more attention, 
and that his abandonment to God is without 
the slightest reservation or flaw. There should be 
in our hearts an unappeasable thirst for improve¬ 
ment, a passion for goodness, an intense longing 
to be Christlike that shall tax every energy, an ab¬ 
sorbing, engrossing determination to get as near to 
God as possible. But we should scorn to satisfy 
that eager yearning by bringing down within 
easy reach our ideal of what is attainable. This 
is fatal to great advances. Low, superficial, 
shallow views of sin have done much harm in this 
matter, checking the progress of multitudes. They 
have brought disrepute also on a worthy cause 
by producing high professions which do not 
accord with the facts as seen by observers who 
use words more carefully. Can we be perfect? 
It wholly depends on what we mean by the term. 
237 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


238 

To lower our standard that we may indulge in 
self-complacency, and the smug satisfaction of 
having attained, is one way of management. To 
keep before us a high standard, that we may be 
under the constant stimulus to press forward, 
is another and much better way. There is, 
properly speaking, but one standard for the Chris¬ 
tian. “It is enough for the disciple that he be 
as his Master.” And it is not enough that he 
be any less. But how different are the concep¬ 
tions that we form as to what Christly char¬ 
acter really is! A man’s ideal molds him. While 
Jesus Christ is confessedly our one model, which 
no one expects absolutely to reproduce, the degree 
of approximation to that perfectness which is pos¬ 
sible to us is very variously conceived and for¬ 
mulated. Only he can be fully free from sin who 
is coming as near the ideal each moment as may 
be within his power. 

“Whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” “To him 
that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him 
it is sin.” Failure to know what is good is often¬ 
times a sin. Ignorance is frequently a sin; it 
must not be made a cloak for carelessness. Avoid¬ 
able errors in judgment due to lack of perfect 
watchfulness or lack of attainable information 
are sins requiring repentance and forgiveness. 
It is a sin to live, even for a moment, below our 
privileges, below the highest possibilities of grace 


CAN WE BE PERFECT? 


239 


in our particular case. It is a sin to have been 
at any point less useful than we might, or to have 
made less progress in divine things than light and 
opportunity warranted. It is a sin to fail to press 
forward with the utmost rapidity toward the 
goal. It is a sin to lose an opportunity of doing 
good, to omit anything which ought to have been 
accomplished. It is a sin to have our tendencies 
toward sin at any point, or any way, stronger 
than they need be. 

“Who can understand his errors?” Who can 
be sure that his peace is as deep, and his faith as 
vigorous, his love as strong, and his mind as 
recollected all through the day, as it might and 
should be ? Who can fix the exact measure of his 
responsibility in the various departments of Chris¬ 
tian activity and be quite sure that he has fully 
met it? Who can measure the utmost capability 
of his love to God and man and be certain that 
there is no deficiency in the ardor and purity of 
his affection? Who is able to penetrate all the 
unseen depths of the soul? Who is there that 
does not need to pray, “Cleanse thou me from 
secret faults,” “Forgive me my trespasses”? 
That a person is conscious of no transgressions 
counts for but little. No one is a proper judge in 
his own case. His conscience very likely needs 
educating. It is not as sensitive and as intelligent 
as it might be. 


240 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


That a person has the best of intentions is not 
enough to insure a perfect life. And if his life 
be very imperfect, through ignorance, if not 
through blameworthy volitions, it does not min¬ 
ister to edification for him to make high-sounding 
professions. Meaning well does not always insure 
doing well. There is but one right, and if we 
have missed it for any cause, so much the worse 
for us; the results will be uncomfortable and 
unprofitable. With the best will in the world a 
person may work great harm; he may take the 
wrong course, a course contrary to the general 
well-being and the largest happiness of the world. 
Hence it is clear that there must be at least two 
kinds of perfection, according as the perfect inten¬ 
tion or the perfect action is referred to, and that 
there is a very wide difference between these two. 
There are also, of course, different degrees of 
perfection, according to the grades of develop¬ 
ment of the power of moral perception; in other 
words, according to the light received. Much aim¬ 
less and profitless disputing would be prevented 
if these distinctions could be kept in mind. We 
can have in this world only an imperfect perfec¬ 
tion at the best, and, alas, it is not often that we 
secure the best. 

Perfection of any kind is not a garment that 
we can find ready made so that we may at once 
put it on; we have to construct it for ourselves 


CAN WE BE PERFECT? 


241 


day by day. Practice makes perfect. It is com¬ 
monly a sure sign of a person's being far from 
perfect if he thinks he has reached it; he has 
probably not yet begun to learn what it is. The 
more a man travels the more plainly he sees how 
much there is yet to visit; the more he knows the 
more he realizes that he knows but little. It is 
only the ignoramus or the idiot who is sure that 
he knows it all. “The greatest of faults is to 
be conscious of none." There are no cut rates 
and cheap bargains in the way to perfection. 
Something does not come for nothing. If we 
would even retain what we have, we must con¬ 
stantly aim at getting more. There must be a 
forward step continually. As soon as a person 
cherishes the idea that he can rest a little upon 
past experience and sit down measurably con¬ 
tented with what he has gained, he loses. 

There is no safety but in an ever-advancing 
ideal and in a progressive realization of that ideal. 
The more one comes to know God the higher will 
be his standard of excellence. A moral quality 
will begin to be recognized in things which not 
long ago appeared indifferent. Modes of speech 
will be criticised and altered. Lines of reading 
and reflection will be changed. Habits of prayer 
will take on new phases. There will be greater 
sensitiveness to the voice of the Spirit. The will 
of God in the very little things of daily life will 


242 THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 

be more promptly recognized and more heartily 
accepted. There will come a deeper delight in 
obedience and a keener exultation in sacrifice. It 
is a lifework, the grandest and sublimest possible. 
To be ever on the stretch for more of God, with 
an earnestness like that of a racer bounding 
toward the goal, is the one fit attitude for the 
Christian. 


That blessed law of thine, 

Jesus, to me impart; 

The Spirit’s law of life divine, 
O write it on my heart! 

Thy nature be my law, 

Thy spotless sanctity, 

And sweetly every moment draw 
My happy soul to thee. 

Soul of my soul remain; 

Who didst for me fulfill, 

In me, 0 Lord, fulfill again 
Thy heavenly Father’s will. 


40 

SINS AND INFIRMITIES 

We have spoken of the evil that arises from 
shallow views of sin, and the vast importance of 
having a high standard of attainment. The sub¬ 
ject is so large, so complicated, and so funda¬ 
mental that it seems to call for further discussion. 
It is evident that if we do not get a right view 
of sin our whole Christian life suffers. To be 
in the best shape for the great conflict we must 
understand ourselves, our antagonist, and our 
divine Helper. Ignorance at either of these 
points cripples us in proportion as it exists. 

A very slight acquaintance with Scripture 
shows that there are very many names used for 
sin, and, presumably, many degrees or kinds of 
sin, although they all spring from one root—the 
making self supreme instead of God. Sin, 
properly speaking, is a guilty transgression of that 
law divine which, for our good, has been made 
binding on us, such a transgression as the trans¬ 
gressor knew he could, and therefore should, have 
avoided. It is essential not to use the word 
where no demerit or blameworthiness can be 
imputed, where there is such a necessary lack of 
243 


244 THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 

either knowledge or power as to make the ascrip¬ 
tion of guilt a palpable injustice. Not all trans¬ 
gressions of the eternal law of God are sins. 
Some things are wrong, that is, contrary to the 
immutable, perfect, ideal law of God, which are 
not sinful. Unintentional transgressions and un¬ 
avoidable wrongdoings are not sins, but simply 
infirmities, in the doing of which we may be 
entirely innocent. There are many people who 
call sins infirmities and infirmities sins in a way 
that brings them into trouble. An infirmity is 
coming short of the ideal right; a sin is coming 
short of the possible right, the right which is 
possible to us now with our present fallen, 
enfeebled powers. 

The law of God which was laid upon our first 
ancestors in their primitive state, when their 
powers were unimpaired by evil, demanded an 
obedience, a line of conduct, not possible to us 
now in our crippled condition. That law divine, 
the perfect law of moral rectitude, a transcription 
of the divine nature, remains as a standard of 
that behavior which alone can be perfectly satis¬ 
factory to God, for it must be painful to him to 
see any of the results of the fall, which was the 
work of the devil. He cannot be supremely 
delighted in a marred universe, or in humanity 
from which has gone something of that charm 
with which he endowed it. His perfect law pre- 


SINS AND INFIRMITIES 


245 

scribed to Adam remains the ideal toward which 
we are to aspire, but which it is not now possible 
for us fully to realize. And failures to reach this 
ideal, failures due to our more or less diseased 
body, or our more or less enfeebled mind, fail¬ 
ures inseparable from humanity in its fallen con¬ 
dition, we call infirmities, not sins. We regret 
them; they diminish the beauty of our character, 
the perfection of our service, but we cannot repent 
of them. They bring us sorrow, but not remorse. 
We strive to make them as few as we can; but 
we shall never rid ourselves wholly of them while 
we are in the flesh, and we do not feel to blame 
for them. We cannot help this kind of errors— 
mistakes in judgment, incorrect beliefs, wrong 
ideas—and so we cannot help doing things some¬ 
times which, by the strict law of highest rectitude, 
measured by their effects on the general good, the 
well-being of mankind, are wrong, and cannot be 
approved of God. But these things are simply 
infirmities, and not sins, if we used all our powers 
to know the right and then did the best we knew. 
Sin, properly so called, involves some culpable 
failure on our part either in getting hold of the 
truth or putting it into practice. It is very essen¬ 
tial that we keep carefully in mind this distinction. 

Many people who are fairly awake to the evil 
of positive or outbreaking sins are more or less 
oblivious to the evil that lies in sins of omission. 


246 THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 

John Ruskin well said: “People are perpetually 
afraid of doing wrong; but unless they are doing 
the reverse energetically, they do wrong all day 
long.” It is a sin to lose an opportunity of doing 
a kindly act, to omit a beneficent deed which we 
could have accomplished. Christ teaches us that 
we shall be condemned at the last day for the 
things left undone, for not having ministered unto 
him or unto the least of his brethren when we saw 
them in need. “To him that knoweth to do good, 
and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” 

There are certainly different degrees of sin and 
guilt in the things we do. Sometimes it is said 
that there are no little sins, that all sins are great. 
This has a certain truth in it, but it is far from 
being the whole truth. It is true that all sins are 
against a great God who has wonderfully blessed 
us, and to displease him for a little matter is in 
some respects worse than to displease him under 
a sore temptation. It is also true that the least 
violation of law, if unrepented of, will bring im¬ 
mense loss and involve consequences to all 
eternity of the most portentous sort. And often 
and often one small sin is the precursor to multi¬ 
tudes of others. Nevertheless, one should not 
lose sight of the fact that some sins are really 
much greater than others, committed against 
greater light and with more deliberation. An 
offense is palliated, not removed altogether but 


SINS AND INFIRMITIES 


247 


lowered, when it is the result of thoughtlessness 
or partial ignorance or passion or caprice. The 
offense is aggravated and heightened when it is 
attended by full knowledge or complete purpose. 

It is the little sins that Christians need to look 
after, the little sins which multiply with amazing 
rapidity when once the soul becomes indifferent 
to them. They spread like thistles; they swarm 
like locusts or gypsy moths. It is the neglect of 
little duties that paves the way for the ruin of 
God’s children. People backslide gradually. The 
believer is led by imperceptible degrees into a 
growing familiarity with evil, till what was once 
hated is first pitied, then endured, and finally 
embraced. More Christians are moth-eaten than 
lion-eaten. No one takes a sudden plunge down¬ 
ward. No one jumps from the top of the steeple; 
he goes down to the devil by the stairs of little 
sins, secret faults, diminutive derelictions. These 
are what destroy the tone of the conscience, dull 
its keen susceptibilities, check and choke its utter¬ 
ances, till its voice becomes fainter and fainter and 
at last altogether dies away. How easy it is to 
grieve the Holy Spirit. 

Higher than the highest heaven, 

Deeper than the deepest sea, 

Lord, thy love at last hath conquered, 

Grant me now my supplication— 

“None of self, and all of thee.” 


41 


WHOLESOME HOLINESS 

In view of the fact that God says, “Be ye holy, 
for I am holy,” with which agree a multitude of 
other Scripture texts, such as “Follow holiness,” 
ye are “called unto holiness”; in view also of the 
fact that much which assumes this beautiful and 
sacred name fails to commend itself as genuine 
or reasonable or helpful, it seems essential to 
institute some inquiries and make a few distinc¬ 
tions. In proportion to the preciousness and im¬ 
portance of the doctrine or experience is the harm 
that comes when it is misrepresented and mis¬ 
understood. Whence has this dangerous and 
very injurious misunderstanding arisen? It has 
come, in part, from carelessness in the reading of 
the Scriptures, in part from the ambiguity of 
words and the failure to define the sense in which 
the terms of the discussion were taken; in part 
from an undue emphasis being put upon the dis¬ 
cussion and the technicalities of theology, rather 
than upon the practical matters pertaining to 
daily conduct. So obscure has the subject become 
in this way, and so much obloquy has been thrown 
upon it, that the very mention of the word in 
248 


WHOLESOME HOLINESS 


249 


many circles creates a prejudice. A thousand 
pities! There are two mistakes to be avoided. 
One is made by those who think that nomencla¬ 
ture is everything, and the other by those who 
think that it is nothing. The using of terms cor¬ 
rectly is essential to the formation and convey¬ 
ance of clear thought. Nevertheless, to state 
a truth correctly is not the same as to embody it 
in a life; while, on the other hand, many who 
possess a very rich experience are wholly unable 
to put it into systematic, accurate language. 
What seem to be chiefly needed are a frame of 
mind and a form of statement that will emphasize 
the essential, practical truth while not needlessly 
offending those who have a desire to combine 
intellectual self-respect with high spiritual attain¬ 
ment. 

We do not find that there is any real need of 
dragging to the front on ordinary occasions the 
moot points of theological speculation or ratio¬ 
cination with which the subject of holiness has 
been entangled and befogged. There is a place 
and time for such things, but it is of rare occur¬ 
rence. The great demand almost always is for 
words that will kindle emotion, arouse aspira¬ 
tion, strengthen determination, and bring the will 
of the creature into the most complete oneness 
with the will of the Creator. 

The rule of love divine in human hearts appears 


250 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


to us the distinguishing element of the holiness 
which God enjoins; for God himself is love, and 
in proportion as we possess love we possess God 
and are the “partakers of his holiness. ,, To this 
end—that we may thus partake in larger and 
larger measure—the apostle says “the Father of 
our spirits” chastens us. And to this same end 
are appointed all the means of grace. We perfect 
holiness, Saint Paul clearly teaches, in proportion 
as we “cleanse ourselves from all defilement of 
flesh and spirit.” But just what does this mean? 
The physical figure of cleansing or purification, so 
familiar to the Jews because of their multiplied 
ceremonial washings, is of doubtful value in our 
day and very apt to mislead. It conveys no dis¬ 
tinct idea. But if purity of heart is apprehended 
as rightness of will, there will be less difficulty in 
grasping the thought and a more practical out¬ 
come to endeavor. We can tell very definitely 
whether or not we are obeying God up to the 
limit of our light, whether we are doing what he 
wants done so far as we know what that is; but 
how can we penetrate our subconscious states of 
being and decide whether or not they are ideal? 
“Who can understand his errors” in the perfect 
way? There are “secret faults” of which God 
may be aware, and which may mar us in his sight, 
although we are not under condemnation for 
them. We may, with Saint Paul, declare, “I 


WHOLESOME HOLINESS 


251 


know nothing against myself/’ and yet there may 
be things about us which cannot meet the com¬ 
plete approval of the all-searching Eye. The real 
state of our affections is best shown by our deeds. 
Our choices are more fundamental than our 
actions. The main significance attaches to our 
minute volitions. This is the point of primary 
importance to be watched with steadfast care. 
The degree of promptitude and heartiness with 
which we say “Amen” in the inmost recesses of 
our being to all that God does or enjoins, to all 
he gives and takes, measures the degree of our 
holiness far more accurately than anything else 
possibly can. 

We are to separate ourselves very strictly and 
strongly from everything which is unlike God, 
which is contrary to the mind of Christ or the 
will divine. This separation, consecration, sur¬ 
render, dedication, self-abandonment, self-renun¬ 
ciation, which includes not only penitence for the 
past but a trusting oneself to God’s keeping 
power for the future, when first definitely, intel¬ 
ligently made, marks the point which turns us 
from rebels into children or from sinners into 
saints in the Bible sense of that term. It is the 
crisis hour of the soul. It is the parting of the 
ways. But the step may be taken, is taken, under 
all conceivable conditions of enlightenment as 
to what God’s will is. Some of those conditions 


252 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


are very low, and all, it may be said, are less than 
perfect. Hence the holiness into which we are 
always brought by this primary step of separation 
is of necessity imperfect; and our growth must 
be in the direction of more perfect apprehension, 
more revelation, more light, followed by deeper 
dedications, with their resulting enlarged degrees 
of holiness or oneness with God’s absolute will. 

This view is thoroughly wholesome because it 
fixes the thought on a line of progress which 
knows no point of cessation and which is not liable 
to confuse or deceive us. It avoids the classifica¬ 
tion of believers in an unscriptural way almost 
certainly leading to censoriousness and Pharisa¬ 
ism and spiritual pride. It provides for all the 
facts of Christian experience and all the texts of 
the inspired Word without warping the one or 
twisting the other. It sets a high standard of 
attainment before the believer, making his ideal 
an ever-advancing one, while it gives an easily 
workable rule of daily effort. It sets him to study¬ 
ing to know more of God, while it keeps him con¬ 
stantly happy in the consciousness that he is loyal 
to God so far as present knowledge extends. It 
frees him from the entanglement of misty, un¬ 
comprehended theological terms, which do not 
minister to edification, and gives him a clear-cut 
position that commends itself to his reason, how¬ 
ever fully developed that reason may be. This 


WHOLESOME HOLINESS 253 

is a kind of holiness which thinkers and scholars 
can find no fault with, while it gives all possible 
rebuke to the frivolous and the worldly. It is 
radiant and redolent, fragrant and fruitful, pro¬ 
gressive, and practical, saintly yet sane. Why 
should it not take possession of the church more 
and more fully? The advance of God’s kingdom 
is bound up with it, the triumph of Christ’s cause 
depends upon it. To push it becomes the duty of 
all who love Jesus; to enter into its fullness and 
joy is the privilege of every child of man. 

Thy name to me, thy nature grant; 

This, only this, be given; 

Nothing besides my God I want, 

Nothing in earth or heaven. 

Come, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, 

And seal me thine abode; 

Let all I am in thee be lost, 

Let all I am be God. 


42 


ONENESS WITH GOD 

O teach me, Lord, to know and own 
The wondrous mystery, 

That thou with us art truly one, 

And we are one in thee. 

Jesus said, “I and the Father are one.” He 
also prayed for his disciples “That they may all 
be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in 
thee, . . . that they may be one, even as we 
are one; I in them, and thou in me.” And the 
many similar words used by Paul—such as, “We 
are members of his body,” “He that is joined unto 
the Lord is one spirit”—point very directly to 
the same marvelous truth, that we may be incor¬ 
porated into Christ, and that there is such a thing 
as unification with the Infinite. It is indeed a 
“wondrous mystery,” surpassing our powers of 
language to express or our powers of intellect 
clearly to comprehend; but we deeply feel that 
there is something here too precious to be over¬ 
looked, even if we must dimly grope for fitting 
words. 

God is not simply the soul of the universe, he 
is our soul also, so within us that we may be as 

254 


ONENESS WITH GOD 


255 


conscious of him as we are of ourselves. We are 
“partakers of the divine nature,” that is, filled 
with divine impulses, governed by divine prin¬ 
ciples, inspired by divine aims. Something of 
this sort is implied by the apostolic command, “Be 
filled with the Spirit,” and the other injunction, 
“Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ.” If we are 
clothed without and pervaded within, not in any 
formal sense merely but in right down earnest, 
by the mind and spirit of Christ Jesus, so that our 
inmost feelings and outermost actions are what 
he himself would possess and exhibit, here is, 
surely, a practical oneness worthy of the name. 
In such a case the common life becomes filled 
with God. There is an appropriation by faith, a 
sacred substitution, a cooperation with the Holi¬ 
est, an embodiment of the Unseen, which makes 
the believer a very different person indeed—trans¬ 
formed, transfused, transfigured. 

The two wills are blended. The transcendent 
excellence and beauty of God’s will are so clearly 
seen and so strongly felt that the whole soul goes 
out to it in passionate longing; whatever suffer¬ 
ing might in the course of nature be involved in 
the transition is so overborne by higher considera¬ 
tions as to be absorbed and forgotten; the death 
of the old is swallowed up in the victory of the 
new, as starlight is lost in sunlight. Thus it is 
we are “more than conquerors,” easily victorious, 


256 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


readily triumphant over trouble, with a margin 
to spare. When our will is thus coincident with 
his it finds no place separately to assert itself; 
our attitude before the event, which God brings 
to pass in his good pleasure, resolves itself into 
simple expectation, and after the event there is 
prompt acceptance, glad acquiescence. We find 
our pleasure and treasure in the will of God 
instead of submitting our pleasure to his will as 
to some irksome outside authority. The will in 
such a case, when there is perfect union, goes 
forth as promptly and powerfully in directions 
uncongenial to the natural feelings as in those 
congenial. There is a total absence of self- 
centered or uncontrolled desire; the only desire 
is for him, and for what he pleases to bestow. 

The will of God clearly known and fully done 
is the sum and substance of religion, for the will 
of God is the grand executive of the Deity, the 
center of his being, summing up and including 
all. And the will of man is always the supreme 
force with him, a compendium of his powers. So 
that when the will of man is put close up against 
the will of God, perfectly in line with it, practically 
absorbed in it, then results that perfect union with 
God which was broken off at the fall and which 
it is the grand purpose of redemption to restore. 
How glorious this partnership with God, when 
his strength becomes our strength, his wisdom 


ONENESS WITH GOD 


257 


ours, and his love constantly permeates us! What 
a privilege! What uncomputable wealth! It 
brings a constant communion with Christ over 
common things which is unspeakably precious. 
It introduces one to “the secret place of the Most 
High” and the secret society of the Holy Ghost. 
What a dwelling place! How select the company! 
And what results are sure to follow! A single 
word spoken, a single deed done, in the name— 
that is, in the very spirit—of the Lord Jesus, by a 
soul in constant communion with him and enjoy¬ 
ing full partnership with him, is worth for spirit¬ 
ual effect a thousand words and deeds not thus 
inspired. 

All healthy Christians are steadily approxi¬ 
mating to complete accord with the divine nature. 
They are growing up into their living Head, 
“from whom all the body fitly framed and knit 
together, through that which every joint sup- 
plieth, maketh increase in love.” They speak 
the truth in love, and they love the truth. They 
find a message from God in each of the providen¬ 
tial events, however small, of every day, and 
have so vivid a sense of the actual personal 
presence of the Saviour as to be able to talk over 
all things with him, obtaining power for the days 
and peace for the nights. Their spiritual life 
takes on ever larger and larger proportions, as 
their union with its Source grows closer. The 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


258 

Holy Ghost clarifies their mind, empowers their 
spirit, perfumes their deeds, and so permeates 
their being that all their actions give token of his 
indwelling. “He lays the rough paths of nature 
even, and opens in the heart a little heaven.” 
Why should not all God’s people claim their 
birthright ? 

To live, to live, is life’s great joy; to feel 
The living God within—to look abroad, 

And, in the beauty that all things reveal, 

Still meet the living God. 

Come to me, come to me, O my God; 

Come to me everywhere. 

Let the trees mean thee, and the grassy sod, 

And the water and the air. 

Far off thou art, but ever nigh, 

I have thee still, and I rejoice, 

I prosper circled with thy voice; 

! shall not lose thee though I die. 


43 


“JESUS IS MINE” 

What is it to be able to say, from the heart 
and with full assurance, “Jesus is mine”? How 
can this most precious possession become more 
completely ours? Is not this the great question 
of life? And can one confer much benefit upon 
others in any way so well as by helping them in 
this matter? 

What is it that Jesus stands for? He stands 
for certain qualities: for a clearly defined char¬ 
acter, for an aggregate of attributes and dis¬ 
positions making up the most impressive person¬ 
ality known to history—such qualities as meek¬ 
ness and gentleness, patience and purity, hatred 
of sin, love for men, sympathy with suffering, 
helpfulness to the poor, active beneficence, passive 
acceptance of the divine will, obedience to God, 
humility, serenity, reciprocity, kindness, prayer¬ 
fulness, the rebuke of evil, the proclamation of 
good tidings. He stands also for certain truths, 
for a body of doctrine: he was a teacher and 
preacher, continually declaring to men the mind 
of God; he spoke of the divine Fatherhood, of 
human brotherhood, of the necessity for the new 
259 


26 o 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


birth from above; he offered himself to men as 
the source of spiritual rest and nourishment and 
guidance, as the light of the soul, the way of 
salvation. If this is what Jesus means, then it 
would seem that to possess him is to have, in large 
measure at least, this character, to hold these 
truths. This it is to “put on Christ.” Accepting 
his Lordship in our life, we adopt his principles, 
we drink in his spirit, and strive to make applica¬ 
tion thereof to the situations in which we find our¬ 
selves. We aim to reproduce him under modern 
circumstances, so that they who see us will see a 
fair representation of him. He is the model on 
which we form ourselves, the standard by which 
we judge our progress. 

Possession, in its deeper sense, means power to 
enjoy, liberty to use. A man owns a thing or a 
person when he can command it to his service 
and appropriate it to his own personal benefit. 
We have a proprietary right in Jesus to the extent 
that we avail ourselves of what he proffers. He 
makes himself our servant on certain simple con¬ 
ditions ; he puts at our disposal all his powers if 
we, on our part, will do the same to him. He is 
ours by exchange. There is a blessed transfer, for 
he is willing to ignore the amazing disproportion 
in the barter, and swap even. We give ourselves 
wholly to him, he gives himself wholly to us. He 
is “made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and 


‘JESUS IS MINE’ 


261 


sanctification, and redemption.” He is made unto 
us power and peace and purity. We “can do all 
things in him that strengthened” us. In him 
we have all and abound—strength for the conflict, 
light on the pathway, comfort in trouble. There 
is no better rule for guidance than at each emer¬ 
gency or perplexity to call up a vivid image of the 
living Christ and let that decide, to submit one¬ 
self to the spell of his presence, and do nothing 
which our truest, highest conceptions of him 
would forbid, to fling ourselves, as it were, into 
him, to take him into our minds and hearts and 
lives and let that thought control. This is where 
prayer comes in, that we may isolate ourselves 
from worldly considerations, and get the view¬ 
point of the divine. This is why much study of 
the Gospels is indispensable, because only thus, 
by absorbing his story, can we trust ourselves to 
know as by instinct what he would do in our place. 
Through long meditation, combined with absolute 
consecration, we may certainly arrive at a very 
safe and sound conclusion about this. We may, 
at least, feel reasonably sure of our own personal 
duty in the premises. 

He in whose life Jesus becomes the power that 
he may and should be, what wealth untold, what 
might immense is his! He finds that a little 
talk with Jesus really smoothes the most rugged 
road, lifts the burdens, drives away the gloom. 


262 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


To walk and talk with Jesus, to sit at his feet, to 
learn from his lips, to look into his face, fills the 
soul with rapture, crowns the days with triumph. 
“His name yields the richest perfume.” There 
is sweetness in it, and joy to the uttermost. He 
stills the craving of the mind, he meets the deepest 
needs of the heart. If only he is ours, this Friend 
unfailing, then all else is given, then our souls 
have heaven. In him there is every blessing, hope 
and love and trust and gladness; his love passeth 
knowledge, passeth praises. His presence ban¬ 
ishes fear. His voice is music, balm, and blessing. 
In proportion as he is dear to us we may measure 
our advance. The maturest saints have prized 
most highly this possession of Jesus as their one 
supreme treasure. Their transports have not 
been always the same, for temperament has some¬ 
thing to do with emotion and its expression. But 
always they have found in him a well-spring of 
unmingled joy, always they have felt that for him 
to die would be an unspeakable privilege. We 
cannot love him too much, or strive too much 
to be like him. It is safe to abandon ourselves 
utterly to this pursuit and become overwhelm¬ 
ingly, increasingly, absorbed, swallowed up, in this 
aspiration. We may have new visions of him all 
the time. The oldest has something yet to learn 
about what he can become to one that fully trusts 
him. The youngest may truly know him. 


“JESUS IS MINE” 263 

How much do we know him and own him? 
How far, how fully and boldly can we say he is 
ours? Have we his joy, his peace, his gentleness, 
his courage against wrongdoers, his manliness as 
well as meekness, his empowering for duty, his 
oneness with the Father’s will? How may he 
take a larger place in our life and come into closer 
relations with us, so that we may even say, with 
Saint Paul, “To me to live is Christ,” and “Christ 
liveth in me” ? This is the question of questions. 
To answer it fully would require volumes, would 
comprise about all the counsel that spiritual sages 
have ever uttered. But it may be said, in brief, 
that we can have him to the degree we really de¬ 
termine, that if we make a business of it, are will¬ 
ing to put all else iside to gain it, esteem it the one 
thing desirable and act accordingly, studying, 
planning, watching, working, indefatigably, ex¬ 
ultantly, with strong faith, high hope, fervent 
love, we cannot fail to see most glorious results. 
To be much like him we must be much with him, 
in thought, word, and deed. The assimilating 
process requires time. But all the way along he 
will amply reward our every endeavor, and in the 
end it will be bliss ineffable. 

As by the light of opening day 
The stars are all concealed, 

So earthly pleasures fade away 
When Jesus is revealed. 


264 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


Creatures no more divide my choice; 

I bid them all depart: 

His name, his love, his gracious voice. 
Have fixed my roving heart. 

I have seen the face of Jesus; 

Tell me not of aught beside. 

I have heard the voice of Jesus; 

All my soul is satisfied. 

There’s not a craving in the mind 
Thou dost not meet and still; 

There’s not a wish the heart can have 
Which thou dost not fulfill. 

My Saviour, thee possessing, 

I have the joy, the balm, 

The healing and the blessing, 

The sunshine and the psalm, 

The promise for the fearful, 

The Elim for the faint, 

The rainbow for the tearful, 

The glory for the saint. 


44 


THE SCIENCE OF SAINTLINESS 

Goodness is just as much of a study as chem¬ 
istry, astronomy, or any other branch of knowl¬ 
edge. It is both a science and an art. It means 
knowing and doing. The latter cannot be 
attended to perfectly or properly in the absence of 
the former. And the former is absent more or 
less largely in so many cases that progress is 
thereby woefully hindered. People with the best 
of intentions blunder fearfully, take wrong 
courses that have to be retraced, and otherwise, 
for lack of suitable instruction or of heeding what 
they have been taught, sadly waste their endeav¬ 
ors. This is a thousand pities. It pays to get 
hold of things by the right handle, and direct 
one’s energies wisely, as much in spiritual matters 
as in temporal. If there is a science of saintliness 
as we believe, it is fitting to ask after its principles 
and laws. Can they be formulated and stated? 
We think they can. We venture the following 
observations: 

i. The key to the situation in the religious life 
is the absolute surrender or subordination of 
self-will to the will divine. We hesitate to call it 

265 


266 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


the foundation because it is not a matter which 
has to do simply with the beginnings. It goes 
right through from start to finish. It is not some¬ 
thing that can be fully done once for all and then 
be forgotten. Self does not so die as to be there¬ 
after a negligible quantity. It is not something 
to be extirpated and eradicated. It lives to the 
end, and needs to be watched. Self-control, not 
self-annihilation, is the duty of the Christian. 
Self-will is a necessary component part of our 
selfhood, that is, of our existence, and is there¬ 
fore right. The selfish will, one at any point 
divergent from the will of God so far as we 
know or can ascertain it, is always wrong. 
Here, then, is the work cut out for us, of very 
great proportions and of perpetual urgency. 
We must continually study to find what the 
divine will is, and we must continually, sharply, 
promptly, effectively check that natural instinc¬ 
tive tendency of our powers to seek gratification, 
which is in itself innocent and becomes wrong 
only when permitted to go beyond due bounds; 
that is, to infringe upon the rights of others or 
to offend God. This is one of the main lines for 
progress in saintliness—a primary method of 
growth. 

2. Scarcely second is the matter of faith, or 
prayer, or recollectedness of spirit, or close atten¬ 
tion to the presence of God. All these terms and 


THE SCIENCE OF SAINTLINESS 267 

phrases, together with many others which might 
be used, refer substantially to the same thing. 
They point to the primary importance of keep¬ 
ing open the channel for supplying spiritual 
strength. They mean that our whole progress 
and safety depend on a contact, as nearly per¬ 
petual as possible, between the divine mind and 
ours. The world is ever with us, drawing off our 
vitality, and so it must be ever renewed or we 
shall die. God bends over us, or surrounds us, 
seeking to come into touch with us at all points. 
In proportion as we respond, that is, according 
to our faith, we shall grow. It is by prayer, by 
communion with God, by waiting upon him, 
thinking about him, talking with him, that 
we get him into our souls and become trans¬ 
formed into his image. This can and must 
go on all the time, filling up intervals, fitting 
into crevices, steadily becoming a perfected 
habit that requires less and less immediate specific 
attention. But it will need always some care to 
maintain it at its best and make it still better. 

3. The stalwart saint gets his strength largely 
from that on which he feeds. The nature of the 
physical food received into the system no more 
strictly governs bodily conditions than the nature 
of the mental and spiritual food governs spiritual 
conditions. Books have a mighty influence. God 
has appointed them in this land and these days to 


268 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


be our chief teachers. He speaks through them, 
communicates himself by them, ministers to us 
in them, to very many people as in no other way. 
Happy he who knows how to use them most 
effectively. It can be learned; it must be, if we 
are to get on most rapidly. We never outgrow 
the Bible; that of itself, if rightly used, will make 
us mighty. Nevertheless, other books which put 
wise counsel in more modern ways are of scarcely 
less importance. To read them with pencil in 
hand, with meditation and personal application, 
is an immense gain. He who has formed this 
habit has taken a long step toward acquiring per¬ 
fection. For some centuries the best of men have 
done it. 

4. Some are better fitted to take in learning 
through their ears than through their eyes. And 
no one can afford to neglect the influence which 
comes from good company. When with carefully^ 
chosen books we are in good company, we are 
communing with the choice spirits of past ages or 
of our own day, who have put on record for our 
benefit their profoundest thoughts, their holiest 
inspirations. But there is often something in the 
living voice which the printed page does not quite 
so well or so fully supply. Our associations will 
largely mold us. We must meet much with those 
whose hearts are fully set on Christlikeness; we 
must be in the company of the godly at every 


THE SCIENCE OF SAINTLINESS 269 

opportunity, comparing notes, asking questions, 
listening to their experiences, looking into their 
faces, catching the blessed contagion of their 
uplifted spirits. The assemblies of the saints, 
even if the number is very small, we can on no 
account neglect if we want saintliness. 

5. The law of little things is one of high sig¬ 
nificance in this connection. “Stop the leaks” is 
a precept of wisdom. Just as small losses, con¬ 
tinued day after day, will eat away a large for¬ 
tune, and small gains will build one in time, so 
it is with spiritual wealth. Few realize how sen¬ 
sitive is the Holy Spirit, how little it takes to 
grieve this Spirit and prevent his best effects upon 
our heart. Few comprehend how easy a thing it 
is for love and faith and grace to ooze from us at 
a dozen points of carelessness until spiritual lean¬ 
ness or indifference has fully set in. A few un¬ 
charitable words, a few absences from prayer¬ 
meeting, a few yieldings to the gratification of 
the flesh in doubtful matters, a carelessness as to 
Bible reading, a slighting of the closet—they seem 
small insignificant peccadilloes; and so they may 
be in one sense, taken separately, but a short 
course of such things suffices to bring disaster. 
And a steady course of strict attention to these 
apparently slight matters is absolutely necessary 
to satisfactory progress. 

6. To mention only one more of these laws or 


270 THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 

rules or principles which have close relation to 
this highest of all sciences, this may be said: 
Activity is highly important. Just as physical 
exercise ministers to physical health, so does 
exercise “unto godliness” help in this direction. 
The improvement of every opportunity for self- 
sacrifice and for doing good to others will have 
a mighty influence. The Christian who is desper¬ 
ately in earnest after all attainable righteousness 
and holiness will be very careful to maintain good 
works, will be busy, as far as strength and means 
permit, in making the world about him a pleas¬ 
anter place to live in. If he is so circumstanced 
that he seems not to be able to do a great deal 
himself, he will take delight in, and obtain profit 
by, restricting his personal expenditures that he 
may have wherewith to bestow upon the welfare 
of others. 

Lord, make me quick to see 
Each task awaiting me, 

And quick to do; 

O grant me strength, I pray, 

With lowly love each day 
And purpose true. 

To go as Jesus went, 

Spending and being spent, 

Myself forgot; 

Supplying human needs 
By loving words and deeds, 

O happy lot! 


PART VII 

VARIOUS ADVICES 































45 

ALPHABETIC AND ARITHMETIC AIDS 

The art of putting things must constantly be 
studied. To arrest the errant attention, to fix 
the fugitive thought, to strengthen the languid 
memory, all available helps should be seized. 
Much important truth slips from us because not 
so stated that it can be readily understood and 
firmly retained. Many ideas would get better 
standing in the best society if they were more suit¬ 
ably clothed. There is quite a science in phras¬ 
ing. Right words have power. Nor is artifice 
in composition to be neglected and despised. 
Poetry owes much to it. A happy turn of expres¬ 
sion goes far; a melodious or majestic or masterly 
sentence means much in the conveyance of knowl¬ 
edge or emotion. We do but follow the lead of 
those biblical writers who have given us the alpha¬ 
betic psalms and have woven into their work 
multifarious numbers of a mystical or symbolic 
nature, when we suggest that a good deal may 
be made of such things in the promotion of 
Christian character. Here are just a few hints 
that could be indefinitely extended. 

There are four fundamental F’s whose order 
273 


274 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


is important—Fact, Faith, Feeling, Fruit. Much 
harm comes from forgetting that the second must 
have the first for a basis and is a necessary pre¬ 
lude to the third. 

Four D’s should be heartily hated by every 
Christian—Debt, Dirt, Drink, and the Devil. 
They are closely intertwined, each leading to the 
other, and the order is not always the same. 

There are two sets of three R’s, each worthy of 
notation. The first is elementary. Christians 
are to be Receivers, Responders, Reporters; or, 
to put it a little differently, they must admit, 
submit, commit, transmit; permitting God to have 
his way with them, and unremitting in their dil¬ 
igence. The second set is more advanced: Rob 
God of nothing, Require of him nothing, Refuse 
him nothing. The second of these R’s means, 
have a care about interfering with the order-of 
Providence, about trusting your own judgment 
rather than God’s, constantly begging him to do 
this or that which you fancy is best. The third 
means that we are to accept gladly whatever 
comes in the order of the Lord, and seek nothing 
out of that order. Four other R’s show what 
we may and should be—Radiant, Redolent, 
Regnant, Recollected. 

A swarm of scriptural bees, all of which may 
readily be found, with a concordance, in the 
biblical hive, are here noted: Be converted, com- 


ALPHABETIC AND ARITHMETIC AIDS 275 

forted, content, courteous, discreet, diligent, 
faithful, fruitful, gentle, glad, holy, obedient, per¬ 
fect, ready, temperate, thankful, vigilant, wise. 
These bees have no sting, but much honey. 

Biblical invitations or commands may be sim¬ 
ilarly catalogued, as follows: Ask, abide, believe, 
call, cleave, come, find, follow, glorify, hearken, 
know, learn, listen, look, love, pray, receive, 
rejoice, seek, trust. Things from which we may 
be saved are very many; but these, perhaps, will 
be sufficient as a help to self-examination: 
Anxiety, burdens, complaints, disappointments, 
enmities, fears, greed, hypocrisy, irritability, 
jangling, levity, melancholy, niggardliness, ob¬ 
stinacy, pride, restlessness, selfishness, temper, 
unkindness, vanity, worldliness. 

Three A’s contain much significant truth— 
Abandonment, Abiding, Abounding. So do these 
words ending in “tion”: Aspiration, meditation, 
illumination, deliberation, determination, decla¬ 
ration. This list of “tions,” which are not to be 
shunned, might be very greatly increased. The 
following at least would come in: Adoration, 
acceleration, affiliation, appreciation, animation, 
consecration, contemplation, dedication, edifica¬ 
tion, education, elevation, inspiration, jubilation, 
regeneration, reformation, sanctification. 

We should be without boasting, do without 
delaying, suffer without sorrowing. We are 


276 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


first formed, then deformed, reformed, con¬ 
formed, transformed. 

It is a good thing to preface our purposes with 
D. V. (Deo volente —If God wills), and to sub¬ 
scribe to our successes D. G. (Dei gratia —by 
God’s grace). Condensed mottoes of might are 
found in O. O. (Out and out for God) and 
S. P. G. (Simply to please God). 

When one comes to the scriptural sevens there 
is a field almost inexhaustible. We have seven 
crowns—of thorns, of gold, life, righteousness, 
incorruptibility, rejoicing, glory. There are 
seven things to be opened—eyes, ears, heart, 
mouth, Scriptures, understanding, door for serv¬ 
ice. There are seven W’s—wash, watch, wait, 
war, work, worship, and walk. We are bidden 
to walk in love, in the light, in obedience, by faith, 
circumspectly, honestly, worthily of the vocation. 
There are seven mountains—Sinai, Ebal, Ger- 
izim, Pisgah, Calvary, Olivet, Zion. There are 
seven one things, seven withouts, seven take 
heeds, seven beatitudes; there are fifteen sevens 
in the Apocalypse. 

The “I ams” of Christ and the “I wills” are 
very many. “All things” occurs two hundred and 
twenty-one times in Scripture, and seven texts 
from them having tremendous significance could 
easily be selected. There are three “full assur¬ 
ances”—of faith, of hope, and of understanding. 


ALPHABETIC AND ARITHMETIC AIDS 277 

There are nine ‘‘hold fasts”; eleven “whoso- 
evers”; eight “withouts” in Hebrews; four “faith¬ 
ful sayings” in Timothy and Titus; five “heaven- 
lies” in Ephesians. There are four words which 
characterize John's Gospel, all found in John 3. 
16, namely, life, love, world, believe. John uses 
“life” thirty-six times, and all the other evangel¬ 
ists seventeen; “love,” fifty-six, and all the others 
thirty-two; “world,” seventy-nine, and all the 
others fifteen: “believe,” ninety-nine, and all the 
others thirty-four. 

These calculations and notations, it is evident, 
might be extended indefinitely. Half the joy of 
it is in finding them out for oneself. Their aid 
to the average mind in storing away truth, in 
focusing attention, in systematizing knowledge, in 
application, exhortation, instruction, is sufficiently 
manifest. Let them be utilized to the utmost. 

At fifty-one life has begun; 

At sixty-two begin once more; 

Fly swifter as thou near’st the sun, 

And brighter shine at seventy-four. 

At eighty-five 
Shouldst thou arrive, 

Still wait on God and work and thrive. 


46 


COMFORT POWDERS 

Jehovah said of old, “Comfort ye, comfort ye 
my people. . . . Speak ye comfortably to 

Jerusalem.” “Be of good comfort” was often on 
the lips of the Saviour. One of God’s sweetest 
names is the “Comforter,” “he that comforteth 
you.” It is fully in place, then, that we look 
sometimes at the more pleasing, encouraging 
aspects of our religion. We need to be soothed 
as well as stimulated. The writer saw in a hos¬ 
pital not long since, on a stand beside an invalid, 
an envelope labeled “Comfort powders for the 
weak and weary; take one as often as needed.” 
There had been placed in it by some friendly hand 
a lot of little papers, folded to imitate powder 
receptacles, and on each paper was written some 
sentence well fitted to console. The following 
reflections are of this sort, and when joined 
together may constitute a blessed oil with which 
to bathe the tired feet of the pilgrim or anoint 
his aching head. 

i. It is a comfort to know that God reigns. It 
may not look so at all times, but faith sees behind 
and beyond appearances. It is God’s world, after 
278 


COMFORT POWDERS 


279 


all, and not Satan’s, and we are not obliged to 
carry the intolerable burden of its management. 
It is our privilege to remain at peace in his 
presence, satisfied with calmly doing what 
depends upon us and letting the rest be. This 
keeps us from working beyond our strength 
under the mistaken notion that the welfare of 
the universe depends upon us. This bids us 
take short views and cease to worry. We sink 
into the will of God, which, in the outward 
realm, is always being accomplished, and so we 
are saved from disappointment. We expect all 
good things from him, and he sends them in his 
own time and way. We expect little or nothing 
from men, and we are not disturbed when they 
follow out the bent of their unregulated nature. 
All things are ours because all things are his, 
and all events fulfill his purpose. Herein is great 
consolation and abiding bliss. 

2. It is a comfort to understand that although 
we may be in a lowly place it is quite possible for 
us to act from high motives and develop a lofty 
character. The truest heroes are often in 
humblest positions. To live from day to day a 
spotless life with perfect truth and honesty, keep¬ 
ing every engagement at all costs, shunning as 
deadly poison everything mean or boastful or 
selfish, to be full of pure thoughts, kind feelings, 
and good deeds is in the power of every man no 


28 o 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


matter where Providence puts him. One may 
act on the purest principles though he is not 
permitted to do any deeds that the world calls 
great. 

3. It is a comfort to think that there are more 
good people in the world than, on the surface of 
things and tried by conventional standards, there 
appear to be. Large allowance may justly be 
made for defects of education, difference of 
training, peculiarities of position. None but God 
knows all the elements that enter into the complex 
problem of moral desert. We are in some danger 
of adopting too narrow, formal, and precise an 
idea of what constitutes religion, and so judging 
other people’s character and conduct with an un¬ 
wise severity. “The love of God is broader than 
the measure of man’s mind.” There is more 
good in most folks than we are accustomed to 
give them credit for. Very many conceal their 
best feelings, having a sort of shame about them. 
If we had a keener eye for excellencies we should 
be happier. 

4. It is a comfort to be sure that we have at 
all times free access to God in prayer. The idea 
that we have, somehow, to persuade God to be 
gracious and tease him into tenderness toward us 
is very deep-seated, but it is wholly wrong. Few 
understand that the obstacles to reception are 
entirely on our side. Prayer is the opening of 


COMFORT POWDERS 


281 


our souls to take him in. He is glad to have us 
draw near to him in supplication. 

5. It is a comfort that our religion is no foe 
to fun, and that gladness is the portion of God’s 
people. A joyous Christian life is not denied to 
any, even though the world has much in it to 
sadden. Christianity does not frown on the light¬ 
some side of life. Merriment has a place on its 
program. Frolic and fancy and fiction need not 
be set aside as pertaining exclusively to the devil. 
“The children of the King have a right to shout 
and sing” and their gladsome melodies may well 
sound forth by day and by night. 

6. It is a comfort that restfulness is a part of 
our religion. On an invalid’s door in a certain 
sanitarium in the early afternoon was noticed an 
inscription which said, “Resting. Please do not 
knock.” At once the thought came, there are some 
faces which bear upon them very plainly, stamped 
by long years of quiet trust, the words, “Resting 
so securely that you may knock as loud as you 
please without disturbing.” Angry words, like 
stones, may dash against this door, but the inward 
peace remains unbroken. The furious rain of 
affliction may beat upon the panel, but still the 
peace is not destroyed. The rest remaineth in 
spite of all that men or devils can do. 

7. It is a comfort that nothing can take Jesus 
from us, nothing can separate us from him. We 


282 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


have this most glorious of leaders, this most 
faithful of friends, this most powerful of pro¬ 
tectors, as an absolutely secure possession. He 
will never leave us. He is ours for time and 
eternity, ours to teach us in our ignorance, sup¬ 
port us in our weakness, be company in our lone¬ 
liness, be our all in all. Though everything else 
is gone he remains. He is not affected by the 
seasons, by our temporal or physical condition, 
by the lapse of years, except to grow more pre¬ 
cious as other helps depart and our need is sorest. 
Our heartiest hallelujahs, our most constant 
praises are all too weak and puny to make ade¬ 
quate return for this unfailing spring of joy. 

8 . It is a comfort that we have such good reason 
to believe that the world is growing better. We 
can affirm this with confidence in full view of all 
the evils that yet remain to be overcome. They 
are many and grievous, it is true, and if one thinks 
on that side exclusively, as some mistakenly do, 
they are certain to be blue and pessimistic. But 
they are not wise or well informed. The former 
days were not better than these, but much worse. 
Only the most deplorable ignorance of history can 
for a moment imagine the contrary. Some small 
sections or special regions may not be as prosper¬ 
ous ; there may be intervals when for a brief sea¬ 
son there is a backward movement in some par¬ 
ticulars. But in spite of the eddies the current 


COMFORT POWDERS 


283 


sweeps gloriously forward. Taking the world 
over and taking long views, there can be no ques¬ 
tion as to which way things are moving. Light is 
gaining over darkness, Christ is conquering 
Satan, the followers of Jesus are multiplying, 
wars are waning, slavery is disappearing, King 
Alcohol is going down in defeat, the morals of 
the nations are being elevated, brotherhood is 
increasing. Optimism is justifiable. Heaven is 
on the way. 

The world is growing better. 

No matter what they say; 

The light is shining brighter 
In one refulgent ray; 

And though deceivers murmur, 

And turn another way, 

Yet still the world grows better 
And better every day. 


47 


KEYWORDS TO THE CHRISTIAN LIFE 

It is evident that a variety of lists of such 
words might be made. No two, perhaps, would 
select the same, nor is there any special number 
to which the tale must be confined. Possibly the 
following seven come as near to being central as 
any, and contain enough of vital godliness to 
constitute a well-furnished Christian. 

i. Consistency . How brightly this rare jewel 
shines! How few examples of its perfect posses¬ 
sion we see! A thoroughly consistent Christian, 
who makes no professions that are not carried 
out to the letter, who lives his religion every day 
in small matters and large, who is not afraid or 
ashamed to have the closest scrutiny made into 
his most private conduct, who has nothing to do 
with doubt or fear or disbelief, who never 
worries, who always loves, who follows his 
Master fully, who acts as a pilgrim and a stranger 
in this world, wholly trusting in the Lord his 
God and so remaining at peace in the midst of 
turmoils, joyful in temptations, lifted above dis¬ 
appointment—what a glorious comfort he is to 
his Saviour, what benefit to his fellow men! 

284 


KEYWORDS TO THE CHRISTIAN LIFE 285 

Probably no better instance of such a Christian 
can be cited than John Wesley, of whose glorious 
and luminous life we have already spoken. There 
have been a few others like him. Would there 
were more! 

2. Loyalty . We have a King; a king who can 
do no wrong, a king whom it is a joy to serve 
even in the post of death. How do we feel toward 
him ? Do our hearts leap to meet his word ? Do 
we exult at the privilege of following him, wher¬ 
ever he may lead ? Do we tender him warm devo¬ 
tion, and count ourselves most highly favored 
when he asks the most from us? Many earthly 
leaders have been able to inspire this feeling of 
personal fealty. If we do not feel it toward 
Jesus Christ the fault is certainly our own. He 
is the Captain of our salvation, who has never 
lost a battle, and can never fail us at any time 
of need. Can he look upon us as those who will 
never fail him, those whom he can count on abso¬ 
lutely, whose faithfulness has been proved and 
will stand any test? If so, he greatly rejoices, 
and we too have reason to be glad. 

3. Simplicity. This has to do with the inten¬ 
tion, which should be single. It is not easy to be 
moved in our doings by nothing but love to God. 
We may have this as the general ruling purpose 
of our lives, but by-ends are pretty apt to intrude 
and distract. Not many can say, with Saint Paul, 


286 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


“This one thing I do.” What a motto! Double¬ 
mindedness, against which Saint James warns us, 
is sure to produce instability; it is a striving to 
serve God some and other things also some, which 
does not tend to the highest success. Simplicity 
is very beautiful, as well as very effective, deliv¬ 
ering from a thousand snares, bringing into very 
intimate union with the Master. It may be ours 
if we will. 

4. Sincerity . “Reality” is another word for 
it. We admire the genuine, that which is free 
from falsity, from pretense and sham. We 
despise duplicity and simulation. God despises 
it. Christ showed his scorn for it most unmistak¬ 
ably. It is one of the prime virtues, fundamental 
to high character. Nevertheless, it should be 
said that sincerity of purpose is no substitute for 
truth, will not produce the same results. Hay 
will not stand the fire like gold, however innocent 
we may be in supposing that it will. Poison will 
work its fatal effects, however sincere we have 
been in administering it for health. Nor is sin¬ 
cerity any guarantee of truth, if by truth we 
mean absolute correctness of religious knowledge, 
or right as God sees it. Freedom from mistake 
in our intellectual processes is nowhere assured 
to us. Otherwise, those who are perfectly sin¬ 
cere would all be included within the limits of a 
single denomination, which is certainly not so. 


KEYWORDS TO THE CHRISTIAN LIFE 287 

5. Activity . If we belong to Him who “went 
about doing good,” we shall never be content to 
sit and sing ourselves away to everlasting bliss. 
We shall know that this is not possible. We 
shall hear the Master say, “What do ye more 
than others?” We shall endeavor to let our 
light shine that men may see our good works. 
The energy and enterprise of which the age is 
so full, and of which America is so proud, 
must not be lacking in our Christian living. 
It is not mere bustle that counts, of course, 
and there is a sitting still which indicates 
strength; but genuine power for service may 
be ours whenever we are willing to pay the price; 
and when the church gets thus equipped, thus 
energized from on high, great things will be 
accomplished for God. Opportunities are all 
around us, and trophies can be won for Jesus 
everywhere. 

6. Hilarity. “God loves a hilarious giver,” we 
are told, and Jesus bade us be “exceeding glad” 
when persecutions come to us for his sake. It 
seems to us that hilarity has a place among the 
Christian's keynotes, and that this somewhat 
extreme term is not too strong, because it is so 
closely connected with an abounding love and a 
fireproof faith and an unconquerable hope. If 
anyone has a right to shout and sing and laugh 
and leap it is he whose whole trust is in the Lord, 


288 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


whose whole treasure is beyond the reach of any 
casualty, who never can know any want or lack, 
who has all things. And this aspect of the new 
life must be emphasized because there are not so 
very many who seem to have wholly mastered its 
secret. 

7. Harmony . It is a great thing to be adjusted. 
In the world of mechanics its importance is mani¬ 
fest. It is equally essential in the world of wills. 
If we are out of joint with the environment 
wherein Providence has placed us, if we are not 
in right relations with God and our fellows, if we 
are discontented and disquieted, we can neither 
do much nor be much that we ought. Depravity 
is maladjustment. Sin is being at cross purposes 
with God. To be in tune with the Infinite, to 
accept the key he sets, to give forth no discordant 
sounds whatever may strike us—how much this 
means! Only under these circumstances does life 
fulfill its purpose and abiding bliss crown the 
whole. 

The best will is our Father’s will, 

And we may rest there calm and still; 

O make it hour by hour thine own, 

And wish for naught but that alone 
Which pleases God. 


HARMFUL ERRORS 


Rapid progress in the divine life depends not 
a little on clear views of vital truth. Delusions 
and illusions manifold may prevail on purely in¬ 
tellectual matters without very much injury, but 
where practical affairs are involved, and the blun¬ 
ders touch life, too great care cannot be exercised. 
Truth and error are sometimes separated by very 
narrow margins. Wrong views look amazingly 
like right ones. So that while trifling distinc¬ 
tions that do not affect conduct may be ignored, 
it is not safe to neglect even small differences of 
conception or expression when the outcome is 
deteriorated character. 

i. Much harm has been done by confusing the 
two kinds of doubt. It is always a sin to question 
the truthfulness and trustworthiness of God, to 
worry lest he should not be able to keep his 
promises and care for his children. Much evil 
comes from this unbelief in the religious realm; 
it has no excuse and must always be rebuked. 
But very different is mere intellectual doubt, 
which comes from an honest inability to find the 
evidence sufficient. Some of the noblest spirits 

289 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


290 

known to earth have had difficulties in this kind 
of belief, for which they were in no way to blame. 
The mind cannot be coerced. The thing that 
counts is sincerity of investigation and willing¬ 
ness to follow where truth seems to lead. 

2. Closely related to this error is another which 
has wrought large mischief. It is the supposing 
that great love implies great light, that a right 
intention will secure at all times good judgment, 
that one may dispense with knowledge if he has 
motive. Experience proves that this is not so. 
However high our aims, they are not enough to 
give us what is usually accounted success. God 
does not guarantee us against blunders and fail¬ 
ures in earthly affairs which require earthly wis¬ 
dom and experience to manage. If we mean well, 
we have our reward for that pure purpose, but 
the more material reward comes to him whose 
actions are guided by the rules which govern such 
things. 

3. Meekness and weakness are by no means 
the same, or necessarily affiliated. This mis¬ 
apprehension is very prevalent. Many suppose 
that a meek man must be a milksop, or a dough¬ 
face, or a do-nothing, without dignity, courage, 
energy, or self-respect. They think that love is 
synonymous with softness, is always feminine, 
cannot punish or be severe, however much 
severity may be needed. But love for the good 


HARMFUL ERRORS 


291 


implies hate of the evil in a healthy normal 
nature. A loving parent frowns as well as smiles 
when necessity arises, and from as deep an affec¬ 
tion in the one case as in the other. This love 
will be misunderstood, just as God’s love is when 
it takes unwelcome shapes, but it should maintain 
its right to the name. 

4. God never intended to have all his best 
people exactly alike. We have the full right to 
be ourselves. Differences of temperament are 
permanent. Constitutional defects will not be 
removed in this life, at least. Probably the great 
lines of our original natural disposition are never 
to be wiped out. No matter how much love and 
faith we have, they will not be exercised in quite 
the same way in any two persons. Hence the 
way of behavior that seems right and best to one 
will not seem so to another, and there will be 
mutual blame when no blame is deserved. We 
cannot do other people’s work or get ourselves 
made over after their pattern. It is wrong to 
covet either another’s endowment or his oppor¬ 
tunity. 

5. The mixing up of faith and fanaticism has 
done great damage. A fanatic, properly speak¬ 
ing, is one who disregards reason under the plea 
of direct guidance from heaven; he is one who 
shuts the eyes of his understanding that he may 
act upon impressions and impulses that he takes 


292 THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 

for granted are from God. He expects the end 
without the regularly appointed means. He has 
given place to a heated imagination, and fancies 
that the dreams and visions which he experiences 
are expressly divine, whereas they may be simply 
natural, or even from the devil. Immense loss 
has come to God’s cause from this source. We 
must not allow ourselves to be shifted from the 
bed rock of common sense. Zeal must be tem¬ 
pered with discretion. Trust in one thing, pre¬ 
sumption is another. 

6 . It is an error to suppose that if we are 
exceedingly active in Christian work our Chris¬ 
tian experience needs no particular attention. 
And it is equally an error to suppose that we are 
really growing in grace if we are not doing good 
so far as it is in our power. People of a certain 
temperament are easily led to substitute work for 
worship and may backslide while very busy 
about the things of the sanctuary. People of the 
opposite temperament consider that piety con¬ 
sists chiefly of frames of feeling and need not 
materialize in any outward direction. Both, of 
course, are wrong. It is not simply quantity of 
labor that commends us in God’s sight; quality 
is important; the motives must be scrutinized. 
On the other hand, no matter how much we cry, 
“Lord, Lord,” if we are not actively doing the 
divine will and showing love to God by helping 


HARMFUL ERRORS 


293 


his weaker children, we are fatally discredited. 
Some sort of balance must be kept in the matter 
or we shall not see the kingdom. 

7. It is a mistake to consider that all who do 
not use our terms, or who differ with our way of 
putting things, are opposed to what is good and 
true. They may hold to the substance as firmly 
as we do, while taking a different view of the 
accessories. While in essentials unity is neces¬ 
sary, in all nonessentials there should be utmost 
liberty, and in everything there should be perfect 
charity. How many good causes are marred by 
an overemphasizing of minor points, and conse¬ 
quent alienation between those who are really on 
the same side in all that is important! Rare 
is the large-hearted, catholic spirit of a John 
Wesley, who could say, “Though we cannot think 
alike, may we not love alike ? May we not be of 
one heart though we are not of one opinion? 
Without doubt we may. Herein all the children 
of God may unite, notwithstanding their small 
differences.” 

However others act toward thee, 

Act thou toward them as seemeth right; 

And whatsoever others be, 

Be thou the child of love and light. 


49 


HEART TESTINGS 

The old adage, “Know thyself/’ still has per¬ 
tinency. The prayer, “Lord, show me myself,” is 
one of the best we can offer. But in answering 
it God uses means, and commonly bids us answer 
it ourselves by employing wisely our mental 
powers and diligently laying hold on all the helps 
available. He has appointed certain aids that will 
afford us this needed knowledge if we are properly 
attentive to them. We are to be self-searchers, 
although not self-seekers. And while the search 
is difficult, so much so that a self-knowledge 
impossible to increase may not, perhaps, be looked 
for in this life, it is not impossible to get a work¬ 
ing acquaintance with our powers and propen¬ 
sities, our points of weakness and strength, our 
faults and our virtues, closely approximate to 
bottom facts. Much pains is well worth while if 
we can be saved from self-deception, from think¬ 
ing more highly of ourselves than we ought to 
think. Although the inquisition may not minister 
to our immediate comfort, may, indeed, be ruin¬ 
ous to our self-complacency, it is a most whole¬ 
some thing, and in the end will mightily promote 
294 


HEART TESTINGS 


295 


our well-being. So we give here a few sugges¬ 
tions, and other parts of this book will furnish 
more light in the same line. 

If we were faultless we should not be so much 
annoyed by the faults of those with whom we 
associate. The trouble is that the defects of our 
neighbors interfere with our own. Hence one of 
the best proofs that we are approaching freedom 
from infirmity is found right here in our increas¬ 
ing equanimity and patience with those about us, 
especially those in our own family. 

When one is conscious of perfect freedom from 
all envy and jealousy, from discontent at seeing 
others of inferior ability preferred before us in 
public favor or pecuniary emolument, then a 
greater victory has been gained than the mightiest 
conqueror of earth can boast, and the bird in the 
heart sings very sweetly indeed. 

The soul that has ceased to find its happiness 
in any earthly attachments is for the first time 
truly free. To a heart really filled with God the 
world, including all its treasures and pleasures, 
is a very small thing indeed. 

Do we take as much pains with what we do 
in private, when only God sees, as with what we 
do in public before witnesses? 

Should anyone suddenly ask us if what we are 
doing is for God, could we answer promptly and 
honestly with a glad, hearty “Yes”? 


296 THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 

If a person wants to know his own character, 
let him take careful note at the day’s end of all the 
words he has spoken; for the tongue is as true 
an index to the diseases of the mind as of the 
body. 

It is always in order to ask with reference to 
a person with a high reputation for goodness— 
or with reference to ourselves if we have come 
to think that we are pretty good—To what extent 
has he been keenly tried? Has he held office? 
Has he been put where he was obliged to come 
into collision with the strong wills of other men ? 
This makes all the difference in the world. 

A perfect trust in God is tested closely when 
all goes well with us, for then we are very apt 
to find that we are trusting in his gifts, if not in 
ourselves, to an extent we did not thoroughly 
understand before, or realize as possible. 

Only as we are tested by tribulations can we 
truly know that we are wholly consecrated to God. 
He who seeks only the will of God finds a special 
satisfaction in suffering, since then his delight 
cannot be in the thing itself but in the loving will 
behind it. Clear, pure water can be seen much 
better in a glass dish than in a gold one, for then 
nothing obstructs the view of the water. It is 
well to ask if we have love enough for God’s will 
and for Christlikeness to choose suffering because 
it will bring out the latter and exemplify the 


HEART TESTINGS 


297 


former. If we love God for himself, not for his 
gifts, we shall love him equally under all circum¬ 
stances, even when the gifts are taken away, for 
he does not change. 

A virtue is really acquired when we perform its 
acts easily and gladly; it is perfectly acquired 
when we perform its acts with perfect ease and 
gladness; that is, with a promptness and heart¬ 
iness which cannot be increased. 

A passion for the will of God in little things, 
things to the ordinary Christian considered un¬ 
profitable, unnecessary niceties, is one of the 
chief marks of sainthood. 

A prompt identification of every event with 
God’s will, and of our will with every event, 
shows that we are truly far along in the divine 
life. Just as we test our watches by some pre¬ 
sumably accurate noon signal or timepiece, so 
we must test our wills by the ongoing of God’s 
great clock of providence. We can apply this 
test, not once a day merely, but constantly, for 
the divine will comes to us in some shape in all 
the varied occurrences that fill the hours. The 
impatient, self-willed manner in which we push 
against the obstacles he puts in our way may well 
open our eyes to a very bad state of things with 
us. We cannot afford to aim at anything less 
than perfect harmony of movement with God, 
neither running ahead nor lagging behind, neither 


298 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


too fast nor too slow. It is the only place of per¬ 
fect peace. 

By all means use sometimes to be alone. 

Salute thyself; see what thy soul doth wear. 

Dare to look in thy chest, for ’tis thine own, 

And tumble up and down what thou findest there. 
Who cannot rest till he good fellows find, 

He breaks up homes, turns out of doors his mind. 

Sum up by night what thou hast done by day; 

And in the morning what thou hast to do. 

Dress and undress thy soul; mark the decay 
And growth of it; if, with thy watch, that too 
Be down, then wind up both; since we shall be 
Most surely judged, make thy accounts agree. 




50 

MISCELLANEOUS MAXIMS 

There is great gain from crowding large prin¬ 
ciples into small compass, for transportation. 
The proverbs of all nations and all ages bear wit¬ 
ness to this. The Christian finds a few compact 
mottoes exceedingly convenient to carry about. 
For fruitfulness of suggestion and frequency of 
application, for putting freshness and fragrance 
into old thought, a concise, compendious phrase, 
pithy, pointed, packed with meaning, is an ines¬ 
timable boon. The following have been found 
helpful by the writer. 

Deal Directly with God. Why go to under¬ 
lings when you can treat with the Head of the 
firm ? He is the Sovereign of the universe. Men 
are his hands. Things are the products of his 
power. If you have complaints to make about the 
weather, or anything else, carry them straight to 
him; disregard secondary causes and subordinate 
agencies. It saves time and a world of worry. 
If we receive all from God, do all for God, take 
all to God, talk over all with God, bear all in 
God, walking always before him, leaning always 
on him, thinking always about him, there is no 
299 


300 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


end to our peace; we live continually the life of 
faith; we are the conquerors of circumstances. 
“Cease from man.” 

Stop ! Look ! Listen ! This legend or sign 
at the crossings of the highways with the railway 
lines has come to be common. And these three 
pungent imperatives hold, for us all, the essentials 
of the highest living. We must pause very often 
in the mad rush of the times, which is so apt to 
seize upon us before we know it, waiting a bit 
for calm unflustered reflection. We must lift our 
inward eye to the source of our help, the Lord 
who made heaven and earth, seeing by faith our 
Saviour, in whose presence and guided by whose 
eye we cannot go astray. We must hearken for 
the voice divine, hushing other sounds in order to 
hear this which is so easily drowned by worldly 
noises. 

Care Not for It. Saint Paul said this to the 
Christian slaves of Corinth in regard to their 
bitter bondage. He wished them to be sublimely 
indifferent with reference to everything pertain¬ 
ing to merely external conditions. He meant 
them to fix their thought on the only really essen¬ 
tial matter, the one thing of primary importance 
—being right with God—and to care for nothing 
else. He wanted them to feel that they could 
serve God, glorify God, be blessed in him, wher¬ 
ever they were, and hence they could be independ- 


MISCELLANEOUS MAXIMS 


301 


ent of surroundings. He who has learned to say, 
“I do not care,” and “I must have,” at the right 
places has solved the problem of life. 

I Ought, I Can, I Will. In I Am and On 
I Must. These are mighty monosyllables. They 
hold the essential secret of all true success. Let 
a man say them with lips made thin, hands 
clenched, heart fixed, and everything will give 
way before him. He will reach the port, no 
matter how the wind blows. There is power in 
these two closely allied sentences to scatter inde¬ 
cision, timidity, cowardice. There is pluck in 
them, and snap, and grit, and push. Let them be 
firmly adopted, and victory is sure. 

From God, for Man. A short creed, contain¬ 
ing the real essentials of true religion, for it in¬ 
cludes both faith and love—faith to receive and 
love to impart. And, surely, if these be fully 
gained, all is gained. Not but what there is 
something to do for God also, but it is plain that 
we must reach him mainly through his children, 
since he counts what we do for them as done for 
him, and they are the neediest. To work for man 
with pure motive is to work for God, and to take 
from men aright is to take from God. 

Inquire Within. One sees it often on build¬ 
ings. Let an important personal practice be 
always suggested by it. Our internal condition, 
our state of mind and heart is too frequently an 


302 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


unexplored territory. There is not enough self¬ 
searching and self-knowledge. Unless there be 
more quiet questioning of the soul we shall wake 
up some day to find ourselves ruinously near the 
rocks. Within is also the place to inquire, pro¬ 
vided we entemple God, for his voice, speaking 
with authority and pointing to us the path of our 
duty. It is a mistake to think that we can hear 
him only at the mouth of others who spoke in 
past ages. 

Be Not Disquieted. There is never any 
sufficient cause for it. We are to have peace 
always by all means. How often the apostle said 
it! And it still needs to be repeated. Tranquilness 
of spirit helps, not hinders, the uttermost external 
activity. Be at rest. God reigns. If you are on 
his side he is on yours; and with so powerful a 
patron no real harm can ever come. Fully be¬ 
lieve it, and nothing can disturb you. 

Have an Intense Intention. Not that the 
tension of the mind can be always precisely the 
same. It must be relieved at times. Relaxation 
is right. On the other hand, a weak wish by no 
means answers in place of vigorous willing. The 
mind must set itself in desperate earnestness to 
accomplish its right purpose, nor regard hin¬ 
drances, whether small or large, when duty calls. 
Half-hearted endeavor God rules out when mak¬ 
ing up the credit side of our account. 


MISCELLANEOUS MAXIMS 


303 


Be Pure, Not Puritanic. It is scarcely 
possible to be too strict with oneself, but it is easy 
to be too strict with other people. Censorious¬ 
ness lurks very near to carefulness of conduct. A 
sour, cold, pharisaic severity toward those whom 
we in our narrowness may regard as unholy does 
not resemble the Christlike spirit of love. We 
should watch, not only lest our own good be need¬ 
lessly spoken evil of, but also lest we without 
cause speak evil of other people’s good. In order 
to be exactly right ourselves, which is well, it is 
not necessary to insist on setting everybody else 
right. 

Be Childlike, Not Childish. Be teachable, 
hungry for information, with an inquiring spirit, 
an open mind, fruitful to fresh ideas. Be trustful, 
simple, sincere, devoid of pretense, frank, engag¬ 
ing. But children are also fickle, changeable, 
impatient; they are ignorant and impulsive: they 
are tormented by foolish fears. And far too many 
Christians are of this infantile variety. In mind 
we must be men, while babes in malice. “Let 
your love,” said the apostle, “abound yet more 
and more in knowledge and in all discernment, 
that ye may approve the things that are excel¬ 
lent.” “Gird up the loins of your mind,” said 
Peter. God’s command to us is, “Son of man, 
stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee.” 
This is not the attitude of the baby, but of the 


304 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


full-grown man, robust, radiant, and royal. In 
such a one the grace of God and the power of the 
Spirit rules. 

Almost indefinitely might such watchwords be 
multiplied. But these ten, perhaps, may suffice. 
They cover a great deal of ground. A lifetime 
is hardly too much to master them perfectly. It 
is better to go over these a great many times, 
and concentrate thought upon them, making a 
specialty of each, perhaps, in turn for a consider¬ 
able period, than to scatter our efforts over a 
larger area. When these are exhausted our char¬ 
acter will need but little further amending. 

So live that when the mighty caravan, 

Which halts one nighttime in the Vale of Death, 

Shall strike its white tents for the morning march, 
Thou shalt mount onward to the Eternal Hills, 

Thy foot unwearied, and thy strength renewed, 

Like the strong eagle's, for the upward flight. 


51 

SEARCHING QUESTIONS 

Self-seeking is bad; self-searching is good. 
The proving or testing of others by hard ques¬ 
tions is not so important as the proving of our¬ 
selves. The questioning which tests our knowl¬ 
edge of earthly things, or conveys secular 
information, is of less consequence than that 
which helps to understand divine relations. To 
look within is profitable, as well as to look around 
and above. Why should anyone think that igno¬ 
rance of his spiritual state is any sort of gain? 
Why should there be so much prejudice against 
self-examination? Rightly conducted, it will 
always aid. To compare one's performance with 
the ideal, to match oneself against perfection, 
may for the time dishearten, but it will surely 
stimulate the earnest soul, and any lowering of 
the standard to accommodate our laziness is 
extremely poor policy. We recommend an occa¬ 
sional hour of careful consideration, given to the 
matter of personal progress, and we append a 
few questions—thirty—that will be found useful. 

Am I at all below any former spiritual position, 
or is there a steady upgrade maintained? 

305 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


306 

Have I found out the weakest points in my 
character, and am I taking the utmost pains to 
overcome my special besetments ? 

Do I pray without ceasing, in everything give 
thanks, and rejoice evermore? 

Have I peace at all times, by all means ? 

Is there constant victory over temptation and 
cloudless communion with God? 

Am I growing in humility and in the submission 
of my will to the will of others ? 

Am I improving in patience, serenity, equa¬ 
nimity, and continual good nature? 

Is there intense longing in my heart for the 
utmost likeness to Christ and the swiftest progress 
in divine things? 

Have I an enthusiasm for religion, a passion 
for doing good, an unappeasable thirst for the 
improvement of personal character? 

Is there steady growth in the promptness and 
heartiness of my obedience to the divine com¬ 
mands. 

Am I conforming myself more and more closely 
day by day to those special indications of God's 
will which he makes to me by his providence ? 

Is the divine will, come in whatever shape it 
may, inexpressibly sweet and delightful to me, 
because of the great love embodied in it? 

Does each hour open out as a page of deepen¬ 
ing interest in the book of life, because I am study- 


SEARCHING QUESTIONS 307 

ing how to walk with God in all the smallest as 
well as the largest transactions of the day, seek¬ 
ing guidance and finding communion from 
moment to moment? 

Am I so suffused with God, so deeply in love 
with his blessed will, so filled with a sense of its 
transcendent excellence, that no suffering in its 
service is counted worth a thought ? 

Do I turn to good account, as the best helps 
to growth in grace, the ill usage, the affronts, 
the losses, the trials, and troubles of life ? 

Is it the uppermost desire of my heart to show 
to the world the worth of its Redeemer, and is no 
opportunity for praising Jesus left unimproved? 

Have I adopted as my specialty absolute devo¬ 
tion to God, so that I talk more with him than 
with anyone else, think more of him than of any¬ 
one else, and care more for his favor than for 
that of all the world besides? 

Is my religion a winsome one, my character 
luscious and fragrant, so that all who have deal¬ 
ings with me are compelled to acknowledge the 
presence of a more than earthly influence, and all 
observers are profoundly impressed with the 
beauty of Jesus shining forth in me? 

Am I kindly and thoughtful for the comfort of 
others, willing to serve, slow to push personal 
claims, quick to sympathize and help ? 

Is each day begun with a fresh surrender of self 


3 o8 THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 

to God, a rededication of all to the Master, and a 
careful planning how to make the hours full of 
loving service rendered in his name? 

Is each day closed with a careful review of the 
hours that have passed, to see how fully my 
resolves have been carried out, and what lessons 
I can learn from my failures? 

Do I constantly realize the divine Presence so 
that it pervades and permeates all thoughts and 
feelings, all words and deeds? 

Do I appropriate the promises and put to the 
proof my full rights of partnership with Jesus? 

Is God all to me ? Am I perfectly indifferent to 
everything except his will, thoroughly content 
with what he sends me, pleased with all he does, 
and pleasing him in all I do, regarding not the 
person of man, but listening continually for the 
whispers of the divine voice ? 

How much time do I spend in stated prayer? 
Cannot I manage to be a little longer on my 
knees? Would it not undoubtedly help me? Is 
not my spiritual leanness largely due to lack at 
this point? 

Do I watch my words, that they may honor 
my Lord, and exhibit my trust in his providence, 
my adoration of his holy name? 

Is the Bible yielding to me just now all that it 
ought, all that it has at some other times, all that 
it does to other people? If not, why not? 


SEARCHING QUESTIONS 


309 


Have I a lessened attachment to the world, a 
warmer love to Jesus, a keener interest in heaven? 

Am I learning that it always pays to mind God 
the first time he speaks, and that my genuine 
well-being has no connection with things, cannot 
be altered by any change of circumstances, but 
depends wholly on my obedience to him ? 

’Tis greatly wise to talk with our past hours 
And ask them what report they bore to heaven. 

Count that day lost 
Whose low descending sun 
Views from thy hand 
No worthy action done. 

Count that day really worse than lost 
You might have made divine, 

Through which you scattered lots of frost 
And ne’er a speck of shine. 


52 

SPIRITUAL SUGGESTIONS 

In these pages, now drawing so near to a close, 
there have been many spiritual suggestions, and 
some matters have been dealt with, possibly, more 
than once as they have come up in different con¬ 
nections. But perhaps a few last words may still 
find place. The writer is approaching the end of 
a tolerably long life, nearly all of which has been 
given to the careful consideration of these most 
important themes. It is quite likely that this 
may be his last formal utterance to a public that 
has treated him very generously. So he tarries 
for a final message. When one has been during 
more than half a century striving continually for 
a closer walk with God, certain things gradually 
come to stand out with marked distinctness in his 
mind as deserving special emphasis. He is natu¬ 
rally desirous to do his very utmost to impress 
them upon others, and he feels it a duty to pro¬ 
claim, as far as possible, from the housetops what 
has been spoken in his ear in the closets of medi¬ 
tation. The following counsels, it is believed, 
are in accordance with both Scripture and reason, 
and will fully vindicate themselves on trial 

310 


SPIRITUAL SUGGESTIONS 


3 H 

1. We have as much religion as we really want, 
and we can have as much more as we truly desire. 
We are masters of our fate in this particular. 
The rule is, pay the price and take the goods. 
People deceive themselves when they pretend or 
think that they really want the goods but are 
unable to pay the very reasonable price that is 
asked. God does not deal in this way with his 
children. We have the price; we can pay it if we 
will. Most people are very reluctant to admit 
this frankly, because the situation, in that aspect 
of it, is not creditable to them. Their vague 
wishes for improvement, with which they are 
very voluble at times, but which are in no way 
valuable, make them feel quite virtuous; but, 
while comforting for the moment, these wishes 
and hopes are extremely misleading in the end 
and have a decidedly evil effect. To say, “I 
would like to be better,” “I wish I was real good,” 
is nothing but idle breath, a mist, a mockery, 
a mere mirage, so long as it is not followed by 
that strenuous effort which, in any and every 
direction, alone brings things to pass. He who 
genuinely gives himself up to the hottest pursuit 
of highest holiness always obtains that which he 
seeks. 

2. Our attainment in grace will be strictly 
according to our faith, and our faith is absolutely 
dependent upon our obedience. Hence abandon- 


3i2 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


ment of self and appropriation of God—two 
things absolutely linked—are the straight way to 
the open goal. Obedience abandons, faith appro¬ 
priates. Disobedience to duty has its root in that 
self-will which stands over against the divine will. 
To put it off is the essential preliminary to the 
putting on of Christ. We learn obedience by the 
things which we suffer, as Christ himself had 
to; for it hurts us to give up and come down; 
but there is no other way to reach the coveted 
bliss. We cannot trust God with the simple 
implicit confidence which he desires so long as 
we are conscious of being disobedient at any 
point or to any degree. When obedience is kept 
at the extreme verge of light, then, and then only, 
can God say to us, “This is my beloved son, in 
whom I am well pleased. ,, Faith in him is per¬ 
fectly easy in proportion as rebellion disappears 
and grounds of friction are removed. Great faith 
gives great grace, and according as our faith 
approaches perfection we approach the goal of 
the Christian life. 

3. Perfect oneness with the will of God is the 
goal toward which we must ever move, and an 
increasing conformity to that will is the chief 
mark of Christian growth. According as these 
phrases mean to us little or much will be the 
smallness or the largeness of our attainments. 
He who sees how grand and glorious is that will, 


SPIRITUAL SUGGESTIONS 


3i3 


how much it covers, how deep it sinks, how high 
it soars, will be incited to the most vigorous and 
persistent endeavor after a complete absorption in 
it, after a saintliness which is without flaw, “with¬ 
out spot or wrinkle, or any such thing”; a saint¬ 
liness which breathes the constant air of heaven, 
realizes vividly the presence of the Infinite, 
triumphs in trials, defying any combination of 
earthly ills to rob him of his gladness. Such 
belong to the highest royalty on earth, the 
seraphic. They carry the flame and flavor of 
their religion with them wherever they go, con¬ 
sumed with zeal for the Master, overflowing with 
hallelujahs. 

4. Happiness is a good test of progress. It 
is the believer’s heritage. Not that it is to be su¬ 
premely, or even directly, sought; but its absence 
to any large degree denotes something wrong and 
should be looked into. It probably indicates a 
leaning on the creature to a greater extent than 
had been supposed, and a distrust of the Creator, 
“the faithful Creator.” God does not change, 
and if our whole dependence is on him, we shall 
not change. 

5. Freedom from anxiety or worry is also a 
good test of progress, having, as it does, such in¬ 
timate relations with trust and faith. Deliverance 
from this curse would so alter the face of things 
in homes and churches, and society generally, that 


3H 


THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 


no amount of insistence upon it can be considered 
out of place. Few things are at once so mani¬ 
festly foolish and so plainly sinful as indulgence 
in that painful uneasiness or disturbance of mind 
with reference to something which we wish or 
fear which goes by the name of anxiety. Proper 
forethought and prudent planning have no neces¬ 
sary connection with worry. It must be fought 
to a finish by every believer, and that immediately. 
He cannot be a full believer until he kills it. 

6 . Symmetry of character is so beautiful and 
rare that it constitutes a distinction worthy of the 
highest effort. It must be studied without cessa¬ 
tion. How to be saintly, and yet perfectly sane, 
avoiding vagaries and harmful, fanatical eccen¬ 
tricities, without slackening speed in pressing on 
to the heights; how to be pure, yet not puritanic, 
very strict with oneself in avoiding things sinful 
or doubtful, but keeping entirely clear of sour, 
cold, harsh, pharisaic, censorious severity in judg¬ 
ing others; true to God, yet loving toward men; 
hating sin, but helpful to those struggling hard 
against it; living in the world, socially inclined, 
a friend to refinement and even to fun, no ascetic 
or hermit, yet not living for the world or making 
any compromise with principle for the sake of 
popularity; intense without narrowness and broad 
without looseness; free from bigotry, remember¬ 
ing that there may be one spirit in many voices, 


SPIRITUAL SUGGESTIONS 


3i5 


equal honesty under different views of many-sided 
truth, yet also free from laxity in the few really 
essential matters—this is great perfection. 

7. Follow the Spirit’s promptings promptly. 
Time is exceeding precious and swiftly passes. 
Buy up the opportunity quickly, that you may be 
a successful merchant in sacred matters, and daily 
dearer to Christ. Do not delay or wait to be 
spoken to by God the second time. Obey at once, 
if you would do and be just right. 

8. Be in dead earnest after the best. Do not 
be content with being simply a little better. The 
chief cause of failure in religion is a tendency to 
take it easy. Put first things first. Do not shilly¬ 
shally. Intensity is called for. Desperate meas¬ 
ures are demanded now if we would not be 
despairing at last. Let there be enthusiasm in 
this calling if anywhere. Resolve to have a burn¬ 
ing heart, a dedicated soul, a shining face, an 
open hand, a fireproof faith, an unfaltering trust, 
and a sublime devotion to the highest ideals. 

9. Be sure that nothing pays half so well as 
God and the serving him with the whole heart. 
Aim at perfection all the while, and be content 
with nothing short of it. Purpose to stand perfect 
and complete in the whole will of God. How 
far you have reached it, or may yet reach it, you 
would better leave to the judgment of God him¬ 
self ; no one else can really decide it. And do not 


316 THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE 

be rash in claiming that he has given you specific, 
miraculous information about it. 

io. Never think that you have got to a stopping 
place. Keep at it and stick to it; there is always 
more beyond. “Travel, travel,” must be the 
watchword; nothing is good for us that causes 
delay. There is a closer walk with God possible 
to us this week than there was last week. There 
have been those who breathed ever the atmosphere 
of heaven, who had about them a marvelous 
sweetness and brightness, who saw nothing but 
the unbounded goodness of their heavenly Father 
even when their dearest hopes were blasted, who 
were steeped in love, irradiated with hope, a bliss 
to themselves and a blessing to others. Why may 
we not be such? We may. “To patient faith the 
prize is sure.” We have need of much patience 
and great perseverance if we would inherit all 
the promises. May He show unto us each and 
all “the exceeding riches of his grace toward us 
in Christ Jesus,” that we may lay hold on that 
for which also we were laid hold on by our Lord. 

I am glad to think 

I am not bound to make the world go right, 

But only to discover and to do, 

With cheerful heart, the work that God appoints. 

I will trust in him 

That he can hold his own; and I will take 
His will above the work he sendeth me 
To be my chiefest good. 

























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